I will see you tonight
by AgentOfShip
Summary: Jemma is a young actress shooting a movie in the desert, Fitz is the genius Scottish engineer recruited to create cool gadgets for the movie. They both have trouble sleeping in this new environment. Their paths keep crossing at night and as they start killing time together during their sleepless nights, feelings blossom. Rated T for small mentions of sex, might change later.
1. Shooting day 15

**Second fan fiction for me and again on Fitzsimmons! (I don't think I will ever write about any other character anyway, not that I don't like them, but I'm way too obsessed with those two!) Other characters might make an apparition but it will mostly be only the two of them. The story is almost complete, it should contain twelve chapters. I'll be posting updates really soon and quite often in the next few weeks! Hope you'll enjoy it!**

 **And of course, the characters don't belong to me!**

There is no use denying it, Fitz won't be sleeping tonight. He's been tossing and turning in his bed for two hours and sleep still evades him, like it did almost every night for the last two weeks. He thought that by now, his body would have adjusted to the heat of the desert and time difference, but apparently not. Maybe some fresh air (as fresh as air can get in the desert) would do the trick. So he gets up, puts on a t-shirt and a pair of jeans, takes his key card and leaves his hotel room to get to the stairs that will lead him to the lobby.

It's Fitz's first time in America, in the desert and working on a movie set. When movie director Phil Coulson had called him a few months ago to talk to him about Fitz's engineering work he had read about in a magazine, at first Fitz thought it was a joke. The man wanted him to work on his movie and make him build most of the machines that would be used on set, some of them directly by the actors on screen, to replace what would have usually been done in post production. Fitz thought the man was crazy, but when he looked him up on the internet, he learned that he had a reputation for crazy ideas like that, but he was also considered a genius director. After some pretty quick thinking, Fitz decided he was up for it. He always liked a challenge and this would give him the opportunity and budget to work on some ideas he's had for a while. So, a few days later, he gave his resignation to the London based scientific engineering company he was working for, and who was wasting his talent and ideas anyway, and started working on Phil Coulson's movie. And that's how the young man from Glasgow, who had barely ever left his country, found himself living in a hotel in the middle of the desert for several months.

As he gets to the lobby, Fitz goes straight for the door leading outside since the middle of the night is the only moment where the outside temperature is bearable. But as he was expecting to find the place deserted, Fitz is interrupted in his musings but the sound of the lobby's TV. It sounds like someone is watching the news, and not just any news, BBC news. The familiar British accent makes him think of home so he has to get closer to see who is watching the BBC channel in the middle of the night. Jemma Simmons, the young actress who is the star of this movie is sitting on the couch facing TV and so has her back to Fitz. From what he knows, she is the only other British person on set and since the hotel is mostly filled with people working on the movie, it makes sense that it's her. Social skills are not Fitz's strong suit, so even though they've been working on the same set and crossed paths a few times, he actually never talked to her. She seems like a nice person but it would feel weird to sit next to her without talking and it would feel even weirder to start talking when they hadn't even been properly introduced yet. And he wouldn't even know what to say anyway. So he stays a few meters behind her, his back against the wall.

But Jemma's social skills are much better so after five minutes of feeling Fitz's presence behind her, she decides to break the silence. She has seen him on set a few times and even though he probably thinks she cannot see him behind her, she can perfectly see his reflection on the TV. Like on set, he looks really shy and the way he looks like he is having an argument with himself on the matter of joining her or not on the couch and nervously scratching the back of his neck, makes her smile. She supposes he is new in this business and she tells herself it would be nice of her to make the first step and introduce herself.

"You know there's enough room on this couch for two people." She says, not turning her head to look at him, which startles him and makes her smile even wider.

"I'm sorry, what?" He answers after looking around to make sure she was actually talking to him.

His Scottish accent surprises her as she realizes it is actually the first time she is hearing his voice. So she turns to him before saying with a gentle smile:

"There's plenty of space on the couch if you want to watch TV."

"Oh yeah ... thank you. Didn't want to intrude." He says as he gets to the couch and sits as far away from her as possible.

"You're not, I've been watching the same loop of news for the the tenth time. But somehow listening to it feels like home a bit." She says, smiling.

"I know, right?" He says smiling back at her.

"So, I didn't know there was a Scotsman on set! You should talk more, I miss hearing proper english being spoken!" She says, grinning and he chuckles.

"Well, like you may have noticed from the way I stayed hidden behind you, which now that I think of it probably made me look like some sort of creep, talking isn't really my thing. But I'll try my best. I'm Fitz by the way." He says, extending his hand to her as she is still laughing at his first remark.

"Don't worry, it's actually quite refreshing meeting someone who's not overly confident in this business. Nice to meet you Fitz, I'm Jemma." She says shaking his hand.

"Yeah, I know." He says grinning.

"Oh, of course. I think I'll never get used to that." She answers and they remain in silence for a few minutes, watching TV.

"So you're having trouble sleeping too?" He asks after a few minutes.

"Yes! And it's so annoying!" She says, turning to face him. "You'd think after two weeks, I would have gotten used to the heat and time difference. I mean I've tried reading, doing some exercise, drinking every herbal tea available and I just can't find sleep most nights." She adds, letting out a sigh at the end of her sentence.

Fitz smiles as he realizes how it mirrors his own previous thought.

"Yes I know, humans are not supposed to live in such a place!" He says with a sympathetic smile. "If only I had my magical tea..." He adds and she grins widely.

"Magical tea?" She says with a raised eyebrow.

"Yeah, there's this tea that my mom used to give me when I couldn't sleep. She said it was magical and it always worked like a charm." He says with a boyish smile and she can't help smiling back.

"Ah, you Scots and your magical teas and your unicorns ..." She says with a teasing grin.

"Hey, you're just jealous because your national animal isn't as cool as ours." He says in mock offense.

"At least it's real."

"Maybe unicorns were real at some point and just went extinct ..." He answers with a smug grin.

"Yeah, eaten by lions probably ..." She answers with a grin of her own and he lets out a shocked gasp.

"And people say you're such a nice person." He says, shaking his head in disappointment which makes her smile even more.

As they remain silent for a few minutes, watching the news, Fitz smiles at how he managed to speak several sentences without stuttering and making a fool of himself. He even made her smile. It usually takes him days or even weeks to get this comfortable talking to someone but there's something about her friendly smile and soft hazel eyes that makes it easy to talk to her. When he had decided to leave home to work on this film, he had promised himself he would try to be less shy and meet new people. He hadn't really succeeded in the first two weeks of shooting so he considers this short but amusing conversation a personal victory.

"So Fitz, you're on the technical crew right?"

"Yes, something like that." He answers, not wanting to sound pretentious by explaining he's a lot more than that.

"So should I be worried that you might want to use magic to fixe things on set?" She asks with an innocent smile.

"Oh I will be using magic, but I guess that's the type of magic most people would call science." He says with a big smile.

"Oh" She says, her smile growing wider. "Now, that's my kind of magic!"

 **Little explanation for those who didn't know (I didn't :D). The unicorn really is the national animal of Scotland, which speaks of how cool this country is, and the national animal of England is a lion, hence her phrase about lions eating all the unicorns!**


	2. Shooting day 18

Jemma has always liked night shootings. There is always a special ambiance to it and even with all the filming crew around, it always feels more quiet and relaxing. And out here in the desert, it's even better. The temperature lowers to something a lot more reasonable and, when the lights are out, she even feels a little chill wearing only a tank top and she savors it. Also, free from pollution or clouds, the stars shine so bright here it's almost magical.

As she walks through the doors of the hotel, she lets out a yawn and tells herself that today might be the day she won't have to struggle to find sleep. It's four in the morning and she doesn't have to go back on set before noon so she could almost have a full night's sleep if she goes straight to bed. But, as she expected to find a deserted lobby at this time of night, her ears catch the sound coming from the lobby's TV. It's quite a big room and if the rest of it wasn't so quiet, she could have missed it. So she gets a little closer to see who could be watching TV at this time of night and of course it's Fitz. It seems that he still hasn't managed to find sleep either. She lays against one of the yellowish painted walls where Fitz stood against just a few days before. He's watching a documentary about monkeys and he seems so caught up in it that he doesn't notice her presence at all. He's sitting cross legged on one of the big dark red couches, his elbows resting on his thighs, head in his hands. She finds the expression of pure delight on his face quite adorable and she can't help joining him, even though she knows she should just go directly to bed before her sleepiness wears off.

"So what are we watching tonight?" She asks, her voice soft but she still startles him, which makes her chuckle.

"Oh hey, hi!" He says, slightly stuttering. "I thought you were supposed to be shooting until dawn." He adds with a questioning look as she settles next to him on the couch.

"We finished early, I was just that good tonight!" She says, grinning and he smiles back. "So, who are these little guys?" She asks, gesturing towards the TV.

"Oh, those are spider monkeys. they're quite remarkable, they have this prehensile tail that works almost like a fifth hand so they balance themselves through the forest very easily and quicker than most monkeys. I mean look at them, look how graceful they are!" He says, enthusiasm evident on his face. "They're also really intelligent, the most intelligent you can find on this continent actually. You see they live only in Central and South America and I was hoping that after this filming, I could go and ... What?" He interrupts himself when he sees how big Jemma's smile has grown.

"Nothing, it's really interesting! It's just I have a nephew who's really passionate when he talks about tigers, he's eight ... and you made me think of him." She says, grinning even more.

"Oh ... well I take that as a compliment." He says, letting his back rest on the couch cushions, a bashful smile on his face.

"That's how I meant it." She says with a fond smile.

"And aren't you a little jealous of how they can jump through trees without being harnessed like you were most of the day yesterday?" He adds, looking at her from the corner of his eyes with a teasing grin.

"Yeah, I really am!" She says, sighing at the memory of the previous day spent hanging from ropes on a harness doing the same few scenes over and over again.

"On a totally different topic, guess what happened this morning when I got to the catering table?" He asks and she starts smiling, knowing perfectly where he's going with that.

"What?" She answers with the most innocent smile she can muster.

"I was about to have what they pass as tea in this country when I spotted my magical tea, just standing here, waiting for me. I've been asking for it for two weeks and they keep telling me that they can't find it anywhere, and then suddenly there's a full box of it! Do you, by any chance, know how it finally got here?" He says, turning to face her with a big smile on his face.

"It's a magical tea, so I guess fairies brought it to you." She says, grinning and he raises his eyebrow. "Okay, maybe being the lead actress on set has its perks ... and also I owed you that at least." She adds with bashful smile.

"What? Why for? I mean thanks a lot for that but what do you owe me for?" He says, visibly confused.

"Well, I was chatting with Phil and asked why he didn't tell me there was another Brit on the show and one thing led to another, I learned that you're a little genius and a lot more than _a guy from the technical crew."_ And with that, she bumps him gently on the shoulder.

"Oh" He says, blushing and scratching his neck in a nervous gesture.

"I mean, I appreciate a little humility, but that was quite an understatement! You should have corrected me!"

"Didn't want to sound pretentious!" He mutters under his breath.

"Come on Fitz, you should be proud of yourself. You're one of the main reasons I signed for this film actually." She says with an encouraging smile and he lifts his face suddenly to look at her.

"What? Really? Why?" He asks, a shy smile making its way on his face.

"Well, I really liked the screenplay and Phil is a fantastic director but I'm tired of filming in front of green screens most of the time. But I finally agreed when he told me he hired a genius engineer to create and build plenty of machines and gadgets that would allow us to do mostly real shots. For my defense, considering your resume, I pictured you a lot older! Anyway, without your drone cameras, I would have had to reshoot some scenes a lot more than I already ..."

"The dwarfs" He corrects her, almost automatically.

"What?" She asks, a little confused.

"The cameras, they're called the dwarfs ... cause there are seven of them so ..." He answers with a small grin.

"Oh! Of course they are." She says, chuckling. "So anyway, getting your favorite tea on set didn't seem too much as a way of saying thank you."

"Well, you're very welcome. And I'm glad you appreciate my work." He answers with a sincere smile.

"Oh by the way, since that you now have your magical tea, how come you're up so late?" She asks and he looks down, a little embarrassed.

"Well, it's still a very good tea, but not so magical!"

"Oh..."

"Yeah, had my mom on the phone today, turns out she used to put a drop of rhum in it to get me to sleep." He says and after a moment of silence, they both burst out laughing.

"Well, if none of us still can't find sleep in a few weeks, drinks are on me." She says, as she starts to get up and they both chuckle. "Well, this has been fun but I'm gonna have to try and get some sleep anyway, I have to get back on set by noon." She sighs. "Goodnight Fitz"

"Good night Jemma. Go easy on the minibar." He answers with a grin and she sticks her tongue at him in response.


	3. Shooting day 22

It's been more than three weeks now and nothing has changed in his sleep pattern. At least, tomorrow is Sunday and Fitz doesn't have to work so he doesn't have to worry about staying up so late. So, as he's done quite often since he came here, he gets up from his bed, puts his t-shirt and jeans back on and heads for the hotel lobby. By now, the personal is used to seing him in the middle of the night, so they don't even ask him if he needs anything when his legs lead him almost automatically to the couch facing the TV. He switches channels for a time until he finally finds something to watch.

"Oh nice!" He says as he settles more comfortably into the couch.

Jemma had been trying to fall asleep for the last hour and she's now seriously considering raiding the minibar and drink herself to sleep. But she knows she would inevitably regret it in the morning, so she puts her shorts and tank top back on and goes down to the lobby. She was starting to feel really bored in her room so she hopes that maybe Fitz will be there. The two times they talked were surprisingly agreeable. Once you get passed the shyness, he looks to be really fun to hang around and quite interesting. And even though, she's already a lot more accustomed to being in America than Fitz, she does feel a little homesick sometimes and Fitz's accent is kind of soothing.

When she gets to the lobby, she hears a very familiar music coming from the TV and her face lights up. It has to be Fitz watching it. Before joining him, she decides to have a little fun. She quickly goes back to her room, takes some change from her purse then gets back down and buys two packs of popcorn from the vending machine. Then she does her best to approach the couch quietly to make sure it's Fitz there. And of course she was right. So she takes one of her packs of popcorn and throws it to the couch next to him, which makes him jump really hard. This is exactly the reaction that Jemma expected and she bursts out laughing.

"What the hell ..." Fitz starts as he turns around to see where it had come from. "Oh come on, you have to stop doing that." He tells her with an annoyed tone once he sees her.

"I'm sorry, it's just so easy to startle you. I couldn't resist." She says with a big smile on her face as she settles on the couch next to him.

"You really are a bad person." He says, the grin on his face contradicting his words.

"But I brought you popcorn!" She answers in mock offense.

"Oh ... yeah thank you ..." He says with a shy smile. "But how did you even know I would be here?" He asks.

"Heard the Doctor Who theme song from the elevator. I knew it had to be my fellow insomniac friend watching it!"

"Oh so you think you know me so well already?" He asks, teasingly.

"Well, I was obviously right!" She answers with a triumphant grin.

"Yeah I guess. So you've already watched the show?"

"Have I already watched the show?" She asks with a raised eyebrow. "Please, it's only the best show in the history of television. I could write a book on it!" She continues enthusiastically, which brings a big smile on his face.

"Wow ... well I would call a nerd alert but I could probably write that book with you so ..." He says and they both chuckle.

They stay silent for a minute, both focused on what's happening on TV.

"So, do you have to work tomorrow?" He asks.

"No, it's my day off. You?" She answers, not taking her eyes from the TV.

"Same" He answers. "Well, we're going to need more popcorn because apparently this wonderful channel is airing a Doctor Who marathon every week so we have hours of the good Doctor in front of us." He says turning to face her and they both smile.

"Sounds like a plan!" She answers. "But you're paying for the next pack" She adds with a grin.

For the next three hours, they only move from the couch to get something to eat or drink. Other than that, they just stay on the couch and watch Doctor Who very enthusiastically in each other's company. Sometimes, they would remain silent for ten or fifteen minutes, just enjoying a particularly fun or intense moment on the show, but they spend most of the time talking about the show, their favorite episodes and favorite doctor. When the conversation starts going to a more scientific approach of the show, Fitz realizes that Jemma has quite an extensive knowledge about a lot of topics. A knowledge that's quite hard to acquire without studying it in a university. When he asks her about it, he is surprised to learn that they have apparently more in common than their origin, loving Doctor Who or being insomniac.

"Well, actually I have PHDs in biology and chemistry so if I ever get tired of acting, I could always work as a biochemist." She says with a bashful smile that surprises him because she doesn't seem the kind to ever be shy about anything.

"Wow, I didn't know that!"

"I don't like to talk about it so much, it's still a sore point with my parents. They were disappointed when I chose my acting career over it." She says with a slightly sad smile.

"Oh I'm sorry, I shouldn't have brought this up." He answers with a sympathetic smile.

"No, that's alright, it's nice to talk about it sometimes. Especially with someone who understands what I'm talking about."

"Yeah, I know what you mean." He says, sighing. "Anyway, that's kind of impressive. You're what? 26?" He asks and she nods. "You've been acting full time for at least four years. That means you must have finished your PHDs while you were actually filming movies all around the world. How did you achieve that?" He asks enthusiastically and she can feel herself blushing. She's used to people complimenting her for her physique but not for her brains and she likes it a lot more, especially coming from someone like Fitz, who she knows is kind of a genius too.

"Well, actually, I finished high school quite young so I managed to get my PHDs by twenty so ..." Usually, when Jemma says that, people are surprised, impressed or sometimes doubtful, not believing that a young actress like herself can also actually be a genius. But once more, Fitz surprises her by just giving her a really big smile.

"What? Is there something funny about it?" She asks confused.

"Oh no no no, I was just thinking that we have more in common than I thought because that's the exact same age I had my degrees in physics and engineering too." He says, smiling.

"Oh ... yeah so we're actually both proper geniuses." She says, grinning.

"Yeah we are ... Do you think we should start a secret club or something? He says and they both chuckle.

So how come you became an actress?"

"Well, I did some theater for fun during college. An agent noticed me and hired me to do a few commercials and things like that. I thought why not because it was easy money and didn't take up much of my time. And when I finished university, I had the opportunity to be in an independent movie. It was just two months of shooting and I thought it would be a fun thing to do before going to the real world looking for a job. But then it worked really well and I got to make another and another and here I am!" She says with a small smile.

"Well I'm glad you did because my nights here would be really boring without my insomniac friend." He says with a bashful smile and she chuckles.

"Well, I'm glad too but I still think I'll go back to science at some point."

"Call me if you do, I have a few engineering designs that could use the input of a biochemist." He says, smiling.

"Deal!" She says as she settles back deeper into the couch with Fitz.

When the last episode of the night is nearing its end, both Jemma and Fitz are starting to feel the effects of the lack of sleep. Their conversation is now reduced to a few words once in a while or a shared laugh when something funny happens in the show. It's not an awkward silence, it's the kind of silence you share with someone you're comfortable enough with, without having to feel the need to fill it. It both surprises and delights Fitz how effortlessly they have fallen into this easy camaraderie. He also realizes that, even in his last job, where he was surrounded by engineers, he almost never had such an interesting conversation. Maybe his mom was right, it does take another genius to be able to follow him! At some point, he feels a weight on his shoulder and when he turns his head, he sees that Jemma has fallen asleep on it. Without really realizing it they both got closer to each other as the night progressed and now, she looks so peaceful sleeping like that, that he feels bad waking her up but she would probably be better in her own bed.

"Jemma? You should go to bed." He says in the softest voice possible while lightly touching her face to wake her up.

"Mmhphh" She says, her eyes open but still sleepy.

"You fell asleep Jemma, you should go to bed or your neck is gonna hurt. I think I'm gonna go to." He says as he stands up, slightly groaning. But instead of standing up, Jemma just lies down where he was sitting.

"Oh wow, come on Jemma stand up, you have to see this sunrise!" He says when he looks through the window at the sky that's starting to light up with beautiful colors from yellow to orange to a bright pink.

"Nah, I'm fine here, just describe it to me." She says, her voice a bit grumpy.

"No, I swear it's amazing, you don't see a sunrise like that everyday. You don't want to miss it." He says, extending his hand to help her up. After a moment's hesitation, she reluctantly takes it and joins him to look outside the window.

"Oh wow you were right. Thank you Fitz." She says with a sleepy smile which he is quick to reciprocate.

And even though they're both really tired, they walk through the door and out as one and remain there until the sun has fully risen.


	4. Shooting day 28

Apparently, telling herself repeatedly that she should be sleeping by now is not an effective way to fall asleep. So after an hour, Jemma stops trying and gets up. She has a book waiting for her that could maybe help her fall asleep but she decides to go down to the lobby. Fitz might be there too and she finds that her sleepless nights are a lot more fun when they're watching TV together. It's been a while since she's had a friend with whom she can be herself completely with all the sciency and nerdy stuff and it feels very relaxing.

When she gets to the lobby, she can hear the sound of the TV, which makes her smile because no one else ever comes down at this hour of night, so it has to be Fitz. But before she has the time to try and scare him again, she hears his voice.

"Jemma, stop hiding. I brought snacks and tea!" He says, a playful tone in his voice.

"How did you know it was me?" She says, pouting, as she sits on the couch next to him a moment later.

"I didn't. But no one else ever comes here at this time of night so I took my chance." He says with a small smile while handling her a cup of tea.

"Thank you." She answers as she takes the cardboard cup and drinks a sip from it. "Yeah I was bored in my room and I hoped you might be here ... not that I hoped you had trouble sleeping again but you know ..." She says smiling apologetically and he grins playfully at her slightly sheepish tone.

"So how did you know I would come tonight?" She adds gesturing to the cup of tea he just handled her.

"I didn't. I thought it would look cool if I acted like I did. I just had to bring one more cup of tea and I would have had no trouble eating this chocolate on my own anyway!" He says, his grin even more playful and she rolls her eyes fondly.

"So what are we watching tonight Fitz?" She says, bumping his shoulder.

"The stars!" He answers enthusiastically. "Well a documentary about the stars, but it's a good one, it's fascinating." He continues, not taking his eyes off the TV which makes her smile.

"You really are a tasteful person Fitz."

"Right back at you Jemma." He says smiling and turning to face her. "Always regretted not studying astronomy at university." He adds with a sigh.

For a moment, Jemma seems to be lost in thoughts. But finally a spark seems to ignite in her eyes and she gives him a mischievous smile before saying:

"You know what's the best place on Earth to watch the stars?"

He turns to face her again, raising his eyebrow and she answers his silent question:

"The desert, Fitz!" She says as she playfully punches his shoulder.

"Oh ..." He says, starting to smile.

"Come on, get up, let's go watch the stars, I know a few things about it too!" She says, her smile growing wider.

Now that he knows Jemma is actually a genius, he shouldn't be surprised that she somehow studied the stars at some point. He's not easily impressed by someone's intelligence but Jemma keeps doing it and it's so refreshing. Also, the look of child like anticipation on her face reminds him of how he feels about engineering or science in general ... or monkeys, and he can't help smiling back at her.

She gets up and offers him her hand to get up, which he takes, and they make their way to the door, their tea and chocolate in hands. Before they get out Jemma grabs one of the blankets at the clients' disposal in the lobby.

"Don't you want one? It gets suprisingly kind of chilly at night here." She asks when Fitz doesn't make a move to take one.

"Please, I'm Scottish, this is a hot summer day for me! The temperature is finally tolerable, I'm going to enjoy it a loooooot!" He says, boasting. Jemma tries to hide the small smile on her face at his sudden outburst of machismo that is somehow contradicted by his blue eyes, blond curls and slim build that give him this especially sweet and juvenile appearance.

"As you wish, Fitz. I won't say I told you so!" She says teasingly.

When they get outside, they realize that there's still too much light in front of the hotel to watch the stars properly. So they start walking away into the desert until the light from the hotel is far enough and their only source of light is the moon and the stars. As they sit next to each other on the sand, surrounded by the stars, they are both awestruck by the beauty of it all. So for a few minutes, they just remain there, their head tilted upward, looking in every direction.

"So Doctor Simmons, what do you have to teach me about the stars and the universe?" He says, with a teasing grin she can barely see in the darkness of the desert.

"Oh I like it when you call me doctor. It's been a while since anyone called me that." She answers without thinking, and she's glad for the obscurity hiding her blush when she realizes how her playful tone might have made her sentence sound dirtier than she intended.

"Just lie down with me and watch." She adds and Fitz chuckles loudly as he lays on the sand, his hands under his head. "You're such a child." She says with an annoyed tone but she cannot help the smile that makes its way on her face when he starts laughing even louder. When he doesn't stop after a minute though, she pokes him on the side of his stomach to get his attention.

"Ouch! Okay, sorry. I'm sorry, please show me the stars doctor." He says in a slightly low voice and when she turns to look at him with a raised eyebrow, this time they both burst out laughing.

After a good minute of laughing, they finally regain some seriousness and they go back to lying down next to each other. "That's it, no more calling me doctor, you've ruined it for me. now let's watch the stars." She says with an annoyed tone that is contradicted by her amused smile.

"Okay, I'm all ears Jemma. What are seeing here?" He answers with a slightly sheepish smile.

"Well, you see that big white thing shaped like a croissant? Well that one is the Moon." She says, grinning.

"Wow, calm down Jemma, I think this might be a little too advanced for me." He answers, grinning back.

"Yeah, thought so. I guess I'll have to dumb it down for you." She says and it's his time to poke her on the side. "Ouch, okay. Let's be serious for a moment." She adds. "Follow my finger. See these seven stars shaped like a dipper, well that's Ursa Major or as we so poetically call it in english the big dipper." She starts.

"Well, at least it's easy to remember." He says smiling.

"Yeah I guess. And the one over there shaped like a W is Cassiopeia. This one is my favorite cause she has a pretty name." She says with a child like tone, which makes him smile wider. Her contagious enthusiasm about everything she likes is one more thing he's really come to appreciate about her.

For the next hour she proceeds to show him every constellation and planet visible to the naked eye, explaining the origin for every one of their name. And even though, he knows some of those informations, he lets her speak without interrupting her. She sounds so happy to share her knowledge and her voice is so sweet and soothing that he feels like he could fall asleep here, if not for the air growing so cold.

At some point during their observation, as she predicted, Jemma had started to feel a little cold so she put the blanket on her shoulders. As they are starting to run out of stars and planets to talk about, a companionable silence has settled between them. They are left looking at the immensity and beauty of the night sky. After an hour spent in the dark, their eyes have adjusted and the numbers of stars they can see, in the unpolluted sky of the desert, is breathtaking.

Jemma is interrupted in her reverie when she catches Fitz shivering from the corner of her eye, which makes her smile because, of course, she knew he would get cold at some point.

"You're sure you're not cold?" She says innocently.

"Yeah yeah, I'm fine." He answers visibly trying to hide the slight trembling in his voice, but failing miserably.

"Mmhhmm."

"Fitz?" She says after another few minutes of silence filled only by him shaking his legs unconsciously to try and warm himself up.

"Yeah?"

"Do you want to share my blanket?" She says, turning to him with a slightly teasing grin.

"Yes please!" He says sheepishly and her smile grows even wider. They both get back to a sitting position and she spreads the blanket on both their shoulders. Fitz hesitates to put his arm around her shoulders to get closer and take advantage of each other's warmth. Even though they've grown close quite rapidly, especially for him, he doesn't know if it would be appropriate and he doesn't want to make her uncomfortable. But Jemma being a lot more at ease with physical contact, she doesn't hesitate to put her arm around his waist so him being a little taller, his arm naturally goes around her shoulder and they share a shy smile as Jemma tilts her head to rest it on his shoulder. As they're starting to feel sleepy, they know they should both get up and go back to their rooms to try and get some sleep, but it feels so nice and peaceful that neither of them wants to say it. So they enjoy each other's warmth for a few minutes before Fitz breaks the silence.

"You know I'm only doing this for you, right? To keep you warm. Because I could totally do without the blanket." He says, a big smile on his face.

"Of course Fitz. Just to save me from hypothermia, you're heroic really." She answers, gently rolling her eyes.

"Exactly! I mean I could be in my room right now. It's just that I'd feel bad leaving you here on your own." He says, grinning even wider.

"I know. It's not like it feels nice or we're having a good time together or anything like that." She says, smiling up at him before putting her head back on his shoulder, making her point.

"I couldn't have said it better!"

Another minute of silence.

"So tomorrow is Doctor Who night." He says tentatively.

"Yeah?" She says innocently, perfectly knowing where he's going with that.

"And the day after tomorrow is our day off."

"Right." She says, enjoying the way his voice is starting to sound nervous.

"So unless some miracle happens, I'll probably be in the lobby watching it." He says with a shy smile as his hand to his neck in a nervous gesture she has come to recognize.

"And I'll bring the drinks!" She says after a minute of him stealing glances at her. And she can't help smiling when she feels him relax.

"Jemma?"

"Yeah?"

"I had a really good time with you tonight."

"Me too." She says, tightening her arm around his waist.


	5. Shooting day 29

Fitz really likes working on Phil Coulson's movie. The first weeks had been a bit hard because he had to adjust to a new country, a new climate, a new work environment and basically a whole new world. He's never been an adventurer so quitting his job to work in the movie industry is without a doubt the biggest thing he's ever done. And he's proud of himself because he has managed to adjust quite well. Phil is really happy with his work and they actually get along very well. He keeps coming to Fitz with crazy ideas and most of the time, Fitz is not only capable of making them a reality but he is able to put a few of his own ideas into it as well. He is praised by the technical crew and actors alike because most of his creations make their work funnier if not easier. And for him, it's so much more challenging and fulfilling than to work on minor designs like he did in his previous job.

The only thing that remains complicated is sleeping. After almost a month, he still isn't able to find sleep most nights. But even though it still makes some mornings quite difficult, he's come to appreciate his sleepless nights a lot more than he thought himself capable of. And of course, Jemma has a lot to do with that. That night, when he gets down to the lobby, he feels giddy and strangely nervous. They've spent a few nights watching TV and having passionate conversations together and tonight should be no different. Except that this time, they have agreed on it, which means that she deliberately wants to spend time with him. It shouldn't surprise him since nothing forced her to spend a whole night watching Doctor Who or cuddle under the stars with him but it still does because somehow, he cannot believe that such a great person would want to spend time with him. He should just enjoy the nice moments spent with her but even though she seems perfectly sincere, he just cannot help wondering if she really appreciates their moments together as much as he does. Also, the whole cuddle part probably has a role in making him nervous too, especially since it felt so nice. He's never had such a good female friend and he doesn't know if this how things normally work.

When he gets down to the lobby, he stops by the vending machine and buys a few snacks. Jemma said she would bring the drinks so he doesn't want to come empty handed. He can hear the TV from where he stands so he supposes that Jemma is already there. As he's about to try and startle her like she did with him a few times, he realizes that's it's not her watching TV. From what they're watching, they're probably german. He's never seen them so they must be new and not yet adjusted to the time difference, so just like he and Jemma did when they couldn't sleep, they probably went for the TV and settled on a german channel. The TV is not his and even though it's the middle of the night, it was bound to happen at some point, but still he can't help the childish reaction of wanting to tell them that he should have priority, having been here the longest!

Once he manages to fight back his first impulse, he thinks of Jemma. Since the german couple doesn't look like they're going to leave anytime soon, they're gonna have to cancel their plans and it disappoints him even more than he thought it would. But when he starts looking for a way to tell her, he realizes he has none. He doesn't have her phone number since during the day, he always knows where she is anyway and he doesn't know her room number either. As he's contemplating asking reception for it, he hears the elevator doors opening and when he turns his head, he is met with the sight of a beaming and quite stunning Jemma.

She's wearing casual clothes like she always is when they come across each other at night but there's something slightly different about her. She looks like she's still wearing a little make-up and her wavy hair is more disciplined that it usually is when gathered in the messy bun she wears most of the time. If he didn't know any better, he'd say she put an extra effort in getting ready to go meet him. He _did_ take an extra minute deciding which t-shirt to wear but it was just nerves and Jemma isn't like that.

As she gets out of the elevator and makes her way to Fitz who is already waiting for her, Jemma sees him staring for a few seconds. She knew she shouldn't have put make up on after her shower, it must look weird and she doesn't even know why she did it. The last nights they spent together watching TV, she was all pale from the lack of sleep and her hair was a big mess on top of her head and it didn't bother her. But somehow, knowing for sure that she would meet Fitz tonight made her a little nervous and even though, it obviously wasn't a date, she wanted to look pretty. When she gets closer to him, she is lost in thoughts and without really thinking, she gives him a quick peck on the cheek as a greeting, which startles him. She never did that before but she's seing him for the first time that day so it should be okay to do that, especially since they spent a good part of the previous night kind of cuddled in each other's arms. But his blushing makes her blush and she starts stuttering.

"Oh sorry, I'm sorry, didn't mean to ... I mean I do that with all my friends, didn't want to make you uncomfortable or ..."

"Jemma stop!" He says, interrupting her with a small grin. "That's perfectly alright, wasn't expecting it, is all. I know I'm a bit awkward when it comes to physical contact but I didn't mind you falling asleep on my shoulder, I should be okay with a kiss on the cheek, really!" He adds, gently nudging her on the shoulder.

"Yeah?" She says with a small smile.

"Yeah, that was sweet. And at least, you didn't drool on my shoulder this time." He says grinning wider.

"Hey! I don't drool!" She says punching him on the shoulder.

"Ouch! Well I see you don't have seconds thoughts when it comes to hitting me." He says, massaging his arm and it's her time grinning at him.

"Well, shall we go watch Doctor Who? I didn't come down to fight with you." She says while starting to walk towards the TV.

"Nope, not tonight I fear. There's a couple watching TV and they don't look like they plan on leaving anytime soon. So unless you wanna fight them, and I know you could, we'll have to wait another week for Doctor Who night." He says with a big sigh.

"Well thank you for your trust in my combat skills but according to Melinda May, I'm still way too slow." She says with a smirk. "And anyway, I have a better option." She adds after a moment's hesitation.

"Oh?"

"We could watch it in my room." She says with a tentative smile.

"You mean on your computer or something?" He asks, a little confused.

"No, I mean on the big screen TV in my room."

"What? Why ... I mean you have a TV in your room?"

"Yep!"

"So why do you come down here to watch TV?" He asks, looking even more confused which makes her smile.

"To spend time with you, Fitz! Well not at first of course. The first time I just wanted to get some fresh air and stretch my legs. I got absorbed by the TV and then you came in. I had fun watching TV and talking with you so when I couldn't sleep again, I thought it would be more fun being with you here than all alone in my room." She says and he blushes adorably.

"So why didn't we go to your room from the beginning?" He asks innocently but starts blushing even more when she raises an eyebrow and looks shocked. "No, I don't mean, not like that, to watch ... you know perfectly well what I mean and you're making fun of me, right?" He says, rolling his eyes.

"Yes, sorry, you're such a good victim! But I couldn't invite you in my room like that. I've known you for only two weeks, it would have been kind of weird don't you think? And you could be dangerous, you could be a serial killer or something for all I know." She says, grinning.

"Says the woman who took me to the desert in the middle of the night." He says, grinning back.

"Exactly! And you didn't act like a psychopath so I guess I'm safe with you and I can now let you in my room."

"And even if I was a serial killer, I wouldn't kill _you_. You're the lead actress, if I did, I wouldn't get paid." He says, grinning and she rolls her eyes at him.

"I'm so touched! So do you wanna come watch TV in my room or not?"

"Of course I want to!" He says, his smile getting warmer as she laces her arm through his and they start walking back to the elevator.

"You know, I think it's the first time someone ever thought I could be dangerous!" He says and she rolls her eyes fondly at how proud that seems to make him.

"Wow, now I know why you chose acting over science!" He exclaims as they get inside her room a minute later.

"Yeah, it's kind of cosy I guess." She says with a small smile.

"Cosy? It's bigger than the house I grew up in. What did you do to get such a room?" He says as he plops down on a big armchair next to the window. "And with a view nonetheless!"

"I'm the lead actress Fitz, I just had to be the best!" She answers grinning as she grabs the remote control to turn the TV on.

"Oh, you're kind of a diva. Aren't you? Bet you ask for your M&Ms to be sorted by color or something like that." He says grinning back.

"Oh no nothing like that, you know I don't eat junk food. But I do ask crazy stuff like some brand of tea that's supposed to be magical ..." She says, raising her eyebrow as she lies on her bed.

"Touché" He says sheepishly.

As the first episode of Doctor Who begins, their attention is drawn to the TV and they remain silent for a moment. But after a few minutes, Jemma notices how far Fitz is from her and the TV and she has to change that. She loves watching Doctor Who with him because, just like her, he never gets tired of talking about it but also because it's nice to have his physical presence next to her. It's her first time shooting away from home for so long and she misses it and her friends. She's met really nice people on set and she went for drinks with them a few times but with Fitz, even though she hasn't known him for long, it feels so simple and natural that he makes her feel at home more than anyone else. But seating a few meters away from her on the armchair, it feels like he's not even here and that's not acceptable.

"Come with me on the bed Fitz, you'll see the TV better and we can share snacks!" She says, smiling softly and when she sees him hesitating she adds: "Come on, there's room enough for five people on that bed!" he chuckles slightly at this and finally gets up to join her on the bed.

Of course it's better that way. The bed is really comfy and he can see the TV better. Being close to her is a lot nicer too, especially since she has that delicious smell of lavender on her hair that he can't help noticing. Being on her bed, they're not even as close as they were in the desert the previous night, but somehow the fact that they're alone in her room makes it more intimate and it makes him nervous again. But as the night advances, he slowly starts to relax and as they resume their conversations about the show and pretty much anything that's even remotely related to it, he doesn't even notice how they almost naturally draw slowly closer to each other.

"I still can't believe you prefer Matt Smith over David Tennant." She says after they've been silent for a few minutes.

"They're both great but I just like his character better."

"I mean I can't believe you would chose an English over a Scot, does your mom know about it? Aren't you a bit ashamed?" She says, grinning and he rolls his eyes.

"What can I say? We're obviously better at everything ... but I guess sometimes a few good things come from England."

She's about to tease him about that but when she turns to him, he's watching her with such a warm smile that it makes her heart beat a little faster for a moment. So instead, she just smiles back, blushing slightly and as she turns back to the TV, she puts her head on his shoulder. His shirt smells like fresh laundry that dried in the sun and she can't help take a big intake of breath as her smile gets wider. After a few minutes, she breaks the silence again.

"I think a few good things can come from Scotland too." She says and she can feel the muscles of his jaw stretching to form a smile on his face. "I'm talking about David Tennant of course." She adds and they both chuckle. After a minute, he rests his head on hers, appreciating how perfectly they fit together.

 **I know it's not very believable that only Jemma would have a TV in her room but my story wouldn't really work otherwise so please bear with me :D**


	6. Shooting day 55

After that night spent watching Doctor Who in Jemma's room, it becomes an habit in the following weeks. Both have let go of the idea of spending a good night's sleep and since Doctor Who is usually on just before their day off, they both agreed that it's a lot funnier to spend the night together. But it doesn't stop at that. As days and weeks go by, they find themselves spending more and more time together. Strangely enough, it is still mostly at nights. Of course, they do see each other a lot during the day but mostly for work and due to their tight schedule and increasing work load on Fitz's side (Phil Coulson never stops having new ideas and Fitz never backs away from a challenge) the only real free time they have is at night. But they have come to appreciate it, there's almost never anyone else up and it feels like they're alone in the world which doesn't bother them one bit, on the contrary. Jemma has always been quite a social person but being with him is so comfortable and effortless that she finds herself spending less and less time with other people. On more than one occasion, she found an excuse to leave early after a drink with the cast because there was a good movie to watch on TV with Fitz. She doesn't like lying because a lie usually comes back to bite you, but Fitz and her are just friends, really good friends even, and if people knew they're spending so many nights together, they would start talking and she doesn't want things to get complicated between them.

At least that's what Jemma tells herself as she's leaving the hotel bar to join Fitz in front of the hotel lobby.

"Come on, let's go before Milton sees us." She tells him as she approaches and he makes a disgusted face.

"Ugh Milton!" He says as he starts walking pretty fast into the desert towards the same spot where they watched the stars a few weeks earlier.

"Don't be mean Fitz! He's a nice guy. It's just that if he knows we're gonna be watching the meteor shower, he's gonna follow us and keep asking stupid questions and I'm not in the mood to answer them!" She says as she starts walking even faster.

"And I'm the one being mean! At least _I_ don't pretend to be interested in what he says when he starts talking." He says grinning.

"I'm just being polite!" She answers, rolling her eyes.

"Polite, hypocrite ... that's a fine line..." He says, grinning even more and she pushes him playfully, almost making him lose balance.

"Hey, I'm not a hypocrite!"

"Ouch ... Maybe not but for such a small person, you're kind of a brute!" He says as he pushes her back and she does completely lose balance and falls not at all gracefully on the sand. "Oh my god, I'm so sorry, I didn't mean to make you fall ..." He says with a panicked voice as he starts picking her up but she just pulls on his hand really hard, making him fall flat on his face on the sand next to her as she bursts out laughing.

"Okay, that's how you wanna play it then, uh?" He says as he's trying to get up, the sand making its movements a bit complicated. She grins widely at him as she's trying to get up too, so he pushes her again and this time she falls on her back, laughing even louder. Her laughter is contagious and soon enough, he starts laughing too making its movements even more complicated. After losing his balance one more time, he gives up and lays on his back next to her.

"That's it, I'll never be able to get up again. I'm gonna die here!" He says in an over dramatic tone which makes her chuckle.

"At least, that's quite a pretty spot to die. Don't you think? Anyway, I think we're far enough from the hotel, we can watch the meteors from here!" She says, her voice still breathless from all the laughing.

"So when will it start?" He asks after a few minutes of silence.

"Soon!"

"How soon?" He asks and she rolls her eyes.

"Like _really_ soon! _"_ She says _,_ emphasizing the word really and pointing to the sky. As he looks up and away from her, he sees the first meteor crossing the night sky.

"Oh wow!" He says, a big smile on his face.

They remain silent for a long moment, just enjoying the amazing show unfolding in front of their eyes. There's no moon tonight and there's not a cloud in view. Which means the sky is as dark as can be and the stars and meteors that much more visible. Jemma had always loved watching the stars, especially on a night like this because the infinite number of them surrounding her on all sides almost makes her feel dizzy, like being on a rollercoaster and she has always loved the sensation. When she was younger, she used to watch them on her own because no one really understood how it made her feel. Looking at Fitz, it seems like he feels the same way and she is surprised by how it makes her heart flutter. He's been making her feel that way more and more but she keeps telling herself she just really appreciates spending time with someone she has so much in common with.

When he turns to her with a raised eyebrow, she realizes that she must have been staring for quite some time so she just gives him a small smile. She's grateful for the darkness that doesn't let her blush show.

"What?" He asks, returning her smile.

"Nothing, I'm just glad I found someone who likes the stars as much as I do" She says, her smile stretching her lips a bit more.

"Oh ... me too." He says, his smile getting warmer as their faces are now only inches from each other. This makes her heart beat a lot faster for a moment and she almost gets lost in his beautiful blue eyes reflecting the stars. How did she not notice before how beautiful his eyes are? She tells herself that it's only the ridiculously romantic setting blurring her mind so, before she does something she might regret later, she pushes herself up to get back to a seating position. But as she does so, she winces as a flash of pain shots through her back and Fitz doesn't fail to notice it.

"Everything's alright?" He asks, a soft tone in his voice.

"Yeah, I just hurt my back a bit when ..."

"Oh my god, was it me? Did you hurt your back when I pushed you earlier?" He asks, now seating up too.

"Oh no no no, don't worry, you're not that strong!" She says, reassuring.

"Nice..." He says, pouting.

"Oh Fitz, i didn't mean it that way, I'm sure you can be really strong." She says, playfully punching his shoulder. "I just meant that wouldn't push hard enough to hurt me."

"That's better!" He says, grinning.

"Anyway, no I hurt myself while training with May this morning!" She says as she tries to rub her own back.

"Oh yeah, I've heard terrifying things about her. She's not going easy on you. Isn't she?" He says, with a sympathetic smile.

"Well, she's actually nice when you get to know her and training with her will look good on my resume but ... yeah she's quite merciless!" She says, now trying to stretch a bit to release some of the pain and tension.

"I can give you a massage if you want. I'm quite good at it." He says with a tentative smile.

"Oh no, I'll be okay, you don't have to do that." She says, thinking that him touching her might not be the best way to shake those confusing thoughts she's had on her mind about him.

"I know I don't but I don't mind, really. And you're the lead actress, if you're too hurt to finish shooting, I'll never get paid." He says, grinning.

"Oh wow you really only like me for my money." She says, pouting.

"You know I don't." He answers with a warm smile and their eyes lock for a moment. Then he adds: "I also like you for your TV!", grinning again and she playfully punches him in the shoulder.

"Come on, turn around, give it a try at least." He says with a soft smile. And even though, she knows it might be a bad idea, she's been hurting all day and it's too tempting to refuse, so she turns her back to him and lets him put his legs around her. Even though he does get close enough to be able to massage her properly, he stills lets a reasonable distance between them and she's thankful for it.

"So where does it hurt?" He asks as he's breathing into his hands to warm them.

"Uh ... pretty much everywhere." She says, wincing. "But mostly, right in the middle and around the shoulders too."

"Okay, let's get started then." He says as he's also suddenly feeling a little nervous. He knows he's good at it so when Jemma told him her back hurt, he didn't even think before proposing to massage her. But now that she has her back to him and he is about to lay his hands all over it, he feels a little awkward. He's never had this level of intimacy with a woman that wasn't his girlfriend and Jemma is far from that. And it's not like it's even a possibility, is it?

When he puts his hands on her shoulders, she tenses slightly and lets out a small gasp. "Sorry, my hands are still a bit cold, they should warm up soon enough!"

"That's alright, that just surprised me is all." She says, relaxing as his hands are already starting to warm up. He starts by gently kneading the flesh of her shoulders to try and relieve some of the tension in there. After a few minutes, she realizes that saying he was quite good is an understatement. She already noticed how delicate his hands were with his long pianist fingers but they're obviously also quite strong and surprisingly soft for someone working with machines all day. And he's using them with the same dexterity she'd seen him use them to work on tiny electronic devices. As he starts going down, he manages to detect the knots in her nerves and muscles using his thumbs and then slowly but firmly applies pressure on it to relieve the pain. As he does so, he's also gently tracing patterns with the tips of his other fingers, avoiding her sides so it wouldn't tickle her and tense her up again. At some point, Jemma closes her eyes to enjoy the sensation and she can't keep her mind from wandering to more than friendly places where his hands wouldn't stop at her back. At some point he reaches the seam of her top so he starts massaging her through the fabric. She's glad to have chosen a top with such a low cut back but she has still to swallow a frustrated whine when his hands stop being in contact with her skin. For a second, she considers taking it off but that would probably be crossing a line. When he reaches the middle of her back, she lets out a loud moan and he stops immediately.

"Oh I'm sorry, did I hurt you?" He says, with worry in his voice.

"Oh no no, don't worry. You just hit the spot that hurts the most." She says, turning her head to look at him with a small smile. "This is actually really nice, please continue." She adds and he smiles back, grinning slightly.

As she turns back, he starts massaging her again, concentrating on that specific spot. It's not as easy to massage her through her top but he's a little relieved to have reached the part of her back that's covered by her top. It's not that he minds touching her, it's actually that he appreciates it a little too much. Her skin is perfectly smooth and soft and being so close, he can't help noticing that delicious smell of lavender again. How can someone always smell so good when it's always so hot is a mystery to him. After a few minutes of massaging this spot and the (really firm) muscles of her waist, he can feel her relax under his hands and he can't help smiling, feeling proud of his good work. When she lets out a few little moans of contentment, his smile turns to a grin. But when his hands travel back up and make contact with her skin, her moans become a little louder. He can't help noticing how they went from something close to a purring cat to something that sounds a lot more ... sexual. A part of him is kind of proud, but another is starting to be a little embarrassed. Jemma is his friend and he shouldn't follow his mind where it's trying to take him. That's the moment Jemma decides to break the silence and he's grateful for it.

"So you really didn't lie when you said you were good!" She says and he could swear she's a little out of breath.

"Oh ... thank you." He answers a little shyly. "I hope it's helping a bit."

"Oh it does really. You know people pay quite a lot of money for such massages." She says, her tone playful.

"Well I'll know what to do if I ever get tired of engineering."

"Or you could do both. Like program a robot to learn to detect knots in nerves and muscles and give massages." She says, still playful but she can feel him stop moving for a moment before resuming his massage. "You're seriously thinking about it now. Aren't you?" She asks, grinning.

"Well, that's actually quite a good idea. I had designs for a prosthetic hand that would have been remarkably sensitive, more than a human hand actually and it wouldn't be too hard to program them to do massages." He answers with a sigh.

"And what happened to that design?" She asks.

"They said it was brillant but they didn't have the budget for such a project. It would be too expensive to produce and that there just wasn't a big enough market for it. I guess they're not wrong but still ... I guess that's one of the reasons I quit." He says with a slightly bitter smile.

"And are you glad you did? Quit, I mean." She asks with a soft voice.

"I'm happier about it everyday." He says and she can hear the smile in his voice.

After a few minutes of silence, she can feel herself drown in the delicious sensations of his hands on her, the meteors somehow long forgotten, so she breaks the silence again.

"But seriously when did you learn to give such good massages?"

"Ah! Well I had a girlfriend who was _really_ into sports. Met her during the only few months in my life where I went to the gym." He starts and she chuckles. "She was a coach there and I guess I was a change from all those bulky guys who spent too much time looking at themselves in the mirror instead of her." He adds as his hands start going down again. "Anyway, she did a lot of sport and after a race or a match, she would often need back rubs so as I like to do things properly, I looked up techniques on the internet and since I had a lot of practice, I managed to get quite good." He says timidly.

"Mmmhmm." She says as she lets out a small contented moan when he starts massaging the middle of her back again. "And what happened between you too? Because I know i wouldn't let go of a man who gives such good massages ... on a regular basis." She says and he's glad she has her back to him and doesn't see him blush furiously when he remembers to what these massages would usually lead back then.

"Actually, I'm the one who ended it. After a few months I realized that we had nothing in common. I mean, she was a very nice girl but it was mostly physical between us and I knew I wouldn't spend the rest of my life with her. So I thought it was better to end it sooner rather than later. And since she worked at the gym, that was the end of my motivation to work out and get in shape!" He says chuckling.

"Ah! If you want I can use my connections to get you a training session with Melinda May." She says, her tone playful.

"No thank you, she really scares me. The only time I had to work with her to know how to position the dwarves during a specific fight scene, she kept looking at me all weird. I swear if I could sleep, that would give me nightmares." He says and she chuckles.

"Maybe she likes you ..."

"No she doesn't!"

"I could ask her for you if you want ..."

"Stop that!" He says with an annoyed tone and she starts giggling even louder.

"She could probably use a good ... massage after all that training ..."

"Jemma, stop that or I swear I'll tell Milton you want to hear that fascinating story about tax deductions he told me last week." He says and he grins at her shocked gasp.

"You wouldn't!"

"I won't if you stop putting horrible images of Melinda May in my head."

"Okay, fine. But you might be missing out on a beautiful love story." She says grinning and they stay silent for a few minutes.

"Funny, you're so smart, I didn't picture you as the type of guy who would have a relationship that's mostly physical." She says, more to herself than to him.

"Well I'm not. That obviously didn't work out for me and that's why I ended it. I need to be someone who shares my interests and with who I can spend hours without running out of things to talk about." He says with an absent smile on his face.

"Yeah, I think I can relate to that." She answers and they both get lost in their own minds for a moment before Fitz notices the pebbled skin on her back and shoulders.

"Are you cold?" He asks with a soft voice.

"I'm sorry what?" She says, still a little lost in thoughts.

"You're shivering. Are you cold?"

"Oh. Yeah a bit." She says, blushing slightly as she knows perfectly well that the shivers are due to his delicate hands on her skin and not the cold.

So he takes the blanket they had brought with them and puts it on her shoulders before coming back to sit next to her.

"Feeling better?" He asks, his accent thicker as he's clearly getting tired and not controlling it anymore, which makes her smile.

"Yeah, I really am. Thank you Fitz. I'll owe you one." She answers as she does feel a lot better. She also feels a little disappointed by the loss of contact so even though she wasn't even cold to begin with, she gathers her knees in her arms and pretends to tremble, which gets her the expected reaction from him. He gets closer to her, pulls the blanket so it rests on both their shoulders and puts his arm around her, pulling her closer into him. She smiles contentedly as her head comes to naturally rest on his shoulder.

"Better?" He asks softly.

"Yeah." She answers, and though she knows she's already walking a fine line, she lifts her head and deposits a light kiss on his jaw. "Thank you Fitz."

"You're very welcome." He answers, his voice barely a whisper and he knows perfectly well that the shiver that runs down his spine has nothing to do with the cold and everything to do with Jemma.


	7. Shooting day 57

Tonight Fitz can't find sleep. Again. Which shouldn't be a problem because today is Friday and for the last few weeks, he's been watching Doctor Who with Jemma every Friday night. But instead of doing that, Fitz is currently alone in his room, sulking about what happened earlier today. The first episode of Doctor Who must have started about half an hour ago and Jemma has already sent him two text messages asking him if he was coming to watch it and saying that she wanted to talk to him. Texts which he has decided to ignore, being way too angry at her. He got to his room as soon as he was finished working and didn't even get out of it for dinner. He knows he'll have to see her again eventually but he's decided to make it as late as possible.

Since he first talked to her on the second week of shooting, she's never been nothing less than warm and friendly. To his own surprise, they even started seing each other more and more during the weeks that followed and they became really close friends. Recently, even though nothing ever happened, he even felt that the line between friends and something else was starting to blur. And then, this morning happened. Fitz had been working on a design for a very light camera harness she could wear and thus film herself during specific scenes instead of being followed closely by a camera man. After all, she was supposed to be alone in the desert and it would make things easier if she was actually alone sometimes. They had talked about this idea and she was very enthusiastic about it. So when it was finally ready, he didn't want to wait to show her. When he came to see her, she was surrounded by a few people but she didn't look like she was talking to them and she was seating on her reserved chair so she obviously wasn't busy at the moment. But when he started talking, telling her he had finally finished the harness and that she could try it on now if she liked, she interrupted him with a cold tone that he had never heard from her, especially directed towards him: "I really don't have the time now Leo."

"Oh. Okay. I guess you can come and check it out later today." He answered, a bit confused and taken aback by her lack of enthusiasm.

"No, I really have a busy schedule today but I'll see it work soon enough anyway." She said, sounding even colder.

"Right ... is everything alright, you ..." He started, now worried that maybe she was mad at him for something.

"Can you leave me now? I have to talk to these ladies here." She said pointing to the two women standing close by and who, by the look of their visitor badges and recording devices in their hands, were apparently journalists. Completely dumbfounded by her behavior, he couldn't even say another word and just left without saying anything. She had just dismissed him like she was one those diva actresses and he was her poor assistant. He spent the rest of the day working in his lab, thinking about it. He had hoped that she would come to see him to explain why she had been so cold but she hadn't. By the end of the day, he had come to the conclusion that she was okay with being friends with him during the night when no one was watching but she couldn't be seen by important people hanging around with a nobody like him. This changed his perspective on all the time they had spent together. He thought that the nights were their special moments but in fact it was just a conveniant way to pass the time without embarassing herself by being seen with him.

As the tears are welling up in his eyes, Fitz turns on his laptop to check his emails and try to keep his mind occupied.

Jemma has been feeling horrible since her conversation with Fitz earlier this morning. The look of hurt and confusion in his eyes when she had so coldly dismissed him had broken her heart. She tried to go to his lab a few times during the day but the journalists never left her side and by the end of the day, he was nowhere to be seen. Even though she had a good reason for acting like she did, she would not be okay until she had the occasion to explain it to him, and her sour mood had a terrible impact on her acting all day. She kept forgetting lines and losing focus on her role. She blamed it on her back still hurting and Phil finally decided to end the day earlier and let her get some rest since they were actually ahead of schedule thanks to Fitz and his inventions. That last piece of information sent another jolt of guilt to her heart.

When the first episode of Doctor Who starts, Fitz still isn't there which means that, as she feared, he is probably angry at her. Half an hour later, when he still hasn't answered her text messages, she decides that she has to be the one coming to him. So she gets out of her room and that's when she realizes that, even though they already spent a number of nights in her room, she still doesn't even know in which room _he_ is in. Jemma ignores the curious look of the receptionist when she asks her for the room number of a man at this time of night and goes back up the stairs to see him.

"Fitz, it's Jemma, are you awake?" She says as she knocks on the door. Silence.

"Fitz, I know you're in there and awake, I can see your shadow moving. Please, just give me five minutes to talk to you." She adds, her voice pleading.

"There's nothing to discuss Jemma. It's late, you're a busy woman, you should get some sleep to prepare for another busy day." His snappy tone is a slap in the face but from his point of view, she probably deserves it after the way she talked to him.

"Fitz, I think there is. And you know perfectly well that tomorrow is my day off anyway. And I'm not moving from here until you open this door. I'll stay here all night if I have to." Her tone getting harder to show him her resolve.

After a minute of uncertainty, he finally opens the door to greet her with the coldest look on his face. She's so used to his warm smile and soft eyes that his expression sends shivers down her spine, and not the good kind of shivers. He moves to the side to let her in, closes the door behind them and comes to sit on the edge of his bed without saying a word, while she remains awkwardly in the middle of the room, not knowing if she should sit or not. His room is smaller than hers and she would have no other option than to sit next to him on his bed, so she decides that it's probably wiser to remain standing for now. He's looking at her with a raised eyebrow like he's waiting for her to speak. Even though, he thinks he knows why she acted like she did, he's still willing to let her explain herself but that doesn't mean he's going to make it easy for her.

"Listen, I know I was awful with you today and I feel so bad about it and I'm so so sorry." She starts, her voice slightly betraying her feelings. "I know I've handled things really badly and I didn't mean to hurt your feelings but I actually had a good reason to act like I did. You see ..."

"Oh I know perfectly well your reasons Jemma. I get it now." He interrupts her and for a moment, she thinks he might actually know but then he continues: "You're fine with killing time with me when you can't sleep but you cannot be seen with someone like me in front of journalists. You're a famous actress after all, you have to have standards." He says with a bitter laugh.

"What? No, that's absurd! Do you really think I'm that shallow? And anyway why would you be be low anyone's standards?" She asks, now getting a little mad at him.

"I don't know Jemma. What was I supposed to think?"

"Listen, someone from the crew saw us come back from the desert together the other night and now they're spreading rumors that we're secretly dating. Apparently those _journalists_ had already heard those rumors about a certain Fitz and I dismissed them but I didn't want them to know it was you. That's why I called you Leo and that's why I made you leave so quickly. They're supposed to be serious journalists but in the end they like gossip like all the others. I didn't want to be so mean but I panicked and then, they didn't leave my side all day and I never had the occasion to come talk to you to explain and apologize." She says, speaking in a such rapid pace than she's completely out of breath by the end of her sentence. Fitz's face is unreadable right now and she's now anxiously waiting for him to say or do anything.

"Oh I see. Because that would be such a terrible thing for you if people thought you were dating me. You have to make sure to stay available if someone more interesting came along." He says, still snappy and she realizes why he completely misunderstood her.

"Fitz, no, you got it all wrong. That's not the reason I didn't want them to know and anyway, I- I ... never mind, that's not the point. Something similar happened a year ago with a really good friend of mine." She starts and her eyes start to fill up at the memory. "I wasn't used to the paparazzis back then and one of them photographed us while we were hugging. It was completely innocent, I just hadn't seen him in a long time. But anyway, they made up this story about us sleeping together. They started following him everywhere and it was a nightmare. Even though I was also good friends with his wife, it almost destroyed his marriage because she started having doubts. At some point, he told me it would be better if we didn't see each other for a while. You know, just a few months until they find a more interesting story. But it's been almost a year now and I still haven't heard from him and he doesn't return my calls anymore." The tears are now falling freely on her face.

"Oh Jemma, I'm ..." Fitz starts, the soft expression she's used to now finally back on his face but she still interrupts him because she knows that if she doesn't say what she has to say right now, her feelings will overwhelm her and she won't be able to finish.

"And I don't want that to happen with you. I know you like your privacy more than anything and they would make your life a living hell and it would be all my fault. I know we haven't known each other for a long time but our friendship is really important to me. I know I don't look it but I do feel homesick sometimes and you're like a balm to my heart, Fitz. You are really are. You have to stop underestimating yourself. You're so sweet and funny and-and ... and I don't know what I would do if you didn't forgive me because ..."

This time, it's Fitz who interrupts her. Seing her cry because of him breaks his heart and he can't take it anymore so he gets up and in one big step, he's in front of her and enveloping her in a tight hug. Her arms automatically encircle his torso and she rests her head on his chest.

"That's alright Jemma. I get it now. There's really nothing to forgive, you meant well. It was just a big misunderstanding. And I'm sorry I gave you such a hard time and implied that you were so shallow because I know you're not. You're amazing and I never want to make you cry again." He says, his voice as soft as ever as he's also fighting the tears that are threatening to fall from his eyes.

And even though she can't stop the tears that keep falling from her eyes for some reason, her lips stretch into a wide smile. "And I probably overreacted anyway. I can be quite the drama queen when I want to." He adds with a playful tone, which makes her laugh. He likes that sound a lot more than her crying and decides he wants to hear it some more. "I didn't know you were so popular with paparazzis. I wonder how much I could make with those selfies we took while watching TV in your room." He adds with a mock-pensive tone and he smiles widely when she starts laughing even louder. "I'm serious, I mean I don't even know what I'm going to do after this shooting, I could use the money!"

"Fiiiiitz" She says with an offended tone as she starts to untangle herself from him but he stops her and keeps her prisoner in his arms.

"Okay, okay, I'm kidding, don't go!" He says, his voice soft again, and she's more than happy to comply.

They remain like that for a long moment, enjoying each other's warmth. As he's tracing soft patterns with his fingers on her back, the rhythm of his heart is like a lullaby to her and to him, the smell of her hair is like a breath of fresh air after such a horrible day. When her tears have finally stopped falling, she tilts her head upwards to look up and smiles at him timidly when she meets his beautiful and intense blue eyes. On impulse, he deposits the softest of kisses on her forehead, his lips lingering just a moment longer before he puts his own forehead against hers and their eyes lock.

"Our friendship is really important to me too. You are really important to me. I want you to know that Jemma." He says with a warm smile and she smiles back. They remain like that intensely gazing into each other's eyes until Jemma unconsciously tightens her hold on him and their faces come even closer to each other. As Fitz's gaze is drawn to her lips, wondering why he never noticed how pretty and plump and pink they are, Jemma breaks the silence.

"Do you wanna go to my room?" She says, her voice coming out huskier than she intended.

"What?" He answers, his eyebrows raising to his hairline.

"To watch Doctor Who!" She adds quickly, realizing how it must have sounded considering the situation they are in at the moment.

"Oh yeah, Doctor Who, of course, yeah sure, I'd like that!" He says, his amused voice tainted with disappointment as he untangles himself from her. "Lead the way." He says as he opens the door for the both of them.

When they get to her room, it takes a little time to shake the awkwardness of the situation. They still sit next to each other on Jemma's bed but Jemma hesitates to put her head on his shoulder like she does most of the time now, and Fitz doesn't know if putting his arm around her shoulder is the good thing to do even though it's much more comfortable when they're both resting against the cushions. Maybe it's a combination of their heated argument and their explicit admissions of their strong feelings for each other. But surely what could have happened earlier if Jemma hadn't broken the silence has a lot to do in their discomfort. At first they just laugh or react at the show, exchanging timid glances and smiles every once in a while, but soon enough, their usual banter is back. One would comment on the show and the other would give his opinion, starting one of their endless discussions. Two hours later, without them really realizing it, Jemma's head is back on Fitz's shoulder and his arm's around her shoulder.

They don't know if they're finally starting to adjust to the desert or if it's just been a particularly long day but they're both starting to feel sleepy a lot earlier than usual. Their sentences start to get shorter and they're slowly sliding, now more lying down than seating on the bed and the last thing Fitz remembers before falling asleep is that he should call it a night and go back to his room when he still has the courage to do so.

When Jemma wakes up a few hours later, she's really confused. First, she remembers it was 2 am the last time she looked at the time and the sun hasn't risen yet so she mustn't have slept more than a few hours, but for some reason, she feels wonderful if still a bit sleepy. She knows she had really good dreams but as she wakes up, they're already starting to slip from her mind. For a moment, she also panics wondering if she's not late but then she remembers it's her day off and she's not expected on set today. Then, after a minute or two, once her brain is fully functional, she realizes that the wonderfully comfy pillow on which she slept is not a pillow but Fitz's chest. Of course, the rest of his body is attached to it and he's apparently still sound asleep. They must have dozed off while watching Doctor Who. The emotional day and evening she spent has drained her more than she thought and obviously Fitz is no better. Still, one of them must have felt that they were falling asleep because the lights are off. As she slowly lifts her head from Fitz's chest, she can't help smiling at his face that's lightly bathed in moonlight. He is slightly turned towards her and he has the ghost of a smile on his lips, he must be having good dreams too. His peaceful expression makes him look even younger than usual, even with the light scruff on his jaw. She always thought he was kind of handsome in a boyish way but with the white light of the moon on him, the structure of his perfectly symmetrical face makes him look like he could have been sculpted by Michelangelo himself and he kind of takes her breath away. Not to mention that he still has this wonderful smell of fresh laundry on him so she decides to go back to sleep for a while. Now that they've been sleeping like that for hours, it won't make a difference if they do it for a few more.

But as she takes the remote to turn off the TV that was still running in the background, she feels him stirring in his sleep and soon enough, he's awake too. She lets him slowly emerge from sleep until he finally realizes her presence and turns his head to look at her with a sleepy and questioning look.

"We fell asleep watching Doctor Who" She says, smiling.

"Ooooh yes. I remember now." He says smiling back. "Have you been awake for long? You should have woken me up!"

"No, I just woke up a minute ago. Took me a moment to realize what was that living pillow under my head though" She says and they both chuckle.

"What time is it? I really have no idea how much time I've slept"

"Mmmmhmm I don't know, have you seen my phone ... oh here it is" And with that, she reaches for her phone on _his_ bedside table, which forces her to literally lay over him for a second.

"Hey!" He says as he playfully pushes her back to her side. "Don't take up all the space. Typical woman!"

"That's my bed. I can even do the starfish if I want to!" She says, smiling widely as she extends one arm and one leg over him for a second before pulling away to lay her head back on his chest and he can't help smiling at how nice and natural it feels. "It's 5:35, that's why the sun is not up yet."

"Okay, then I think I'm gonna go back to my room now and sleep some more." He says, trying to gather the courage to get up from Jemma's bed to go back to his sad empty one.

"But you don't have to" She says tentatively.

"Well no, but I still feel kind of tired and it'd be nice to catch up on some sleep since I have nothing planned today ..."

"No, I mean go back to your room" She says, blushing and she hopes the room is dark enough to cover it.

"Oh" he says with a slightly embarrassed smile.

"I mean, I don't know about you but I haven't slept so well in weeks, pretty much since the start of shooting actually. And the only thing that differs from all those other nights is you so ... but I don't want to make you uncomfortable so if you'd rather go back to your room, I completely under ..." She says but he cuts her up enthusiastically.

"No no, I'm completely okay with that. I feel more rested after a few hours than I've felt in weeks too. So I don't see why we should deprive ourselves of a few more delightful hours of sleep." He says, smiling widely and she smiles back before putting her head back on his shoulder, his hand laying on her naked arm sending shivers down her spine. (The good kind this time)

"Good night Fitz" She says, placing a soft kiss on his jaw.

"Good night Jemma" He says, placing one the top of her hair.

When Jemma wakes up again, Fitz is gone but tea and two croissants are waiting for her on the bedside table. Next to it, there's a note from Fitz that makes her smile even more than the delicious smell of breakfast.

It says:

 _Hi Jemma,_

 _Had to go, I had a few paparazzis to call to ask them if these photos of you drooling on my shoulder this morning were worth something. You know I can always use the extra money! (Also, Phil needed me on set urgently so I had to postpone my plan of sleeping until sunset). Didn't want to wake you so enjoy your breakfast and your day off and I'll see you later. Thanks for the great night. F_

 _P.S: I'm glad everything's well between us, I hated being angry at you._

Still smiling after the great night she had and because of Fitz's sweet and funny note, Jemma takes a sip of her tea and grabs her phone to make a call she's been postponing for some time.


	8. Shooting day 60

After the night they spent together, something seems to shift in their relationship. It's hard to put that into words though. They both feel it but if someone asked them to tell what's actually different, they would have trouble answering. They're as close as ever, probably even closer but there's some kind of tension between them, not a negative one but it still makes them feel a little strange when they're around each other. It's like everything they say and do takes a new meaning. Innocent jokes and nice friendly gestures feel like flirting and even the most innocent touch of hand or arm makes them shiver. They act like it's not there but they both know it and Fitz wonders if that's why they haven't spent an evening or night together since that famous night. He doesn't give much importance to labels and he likes his relationship with Jemma, whatever it is, more everyday but still, he cannot help thinking that friends don't usually spend the night in each other's arms, kissing each other even if, of course, it's never been on the lips. So if that's not what friends do, then what are they to each other?

For some time now, their sleepless nights have been a mere excuse to spend time together. Most nights, they don't even try to fall asleep before calling or texting each other. But if Jemma feels the same as he does or if she feels a bit uncomfortable spending time with him alone, he doesn't want to impose on her. So even though the shooting is soon coming to an end and he'd like to enjoy as much time as he has left with her, he decides to go to bed and soon falls asleep.

Tonight is one of those nights when Jemma can't seem to find sleep. So almost as a conditioned reflex, she turns the TV on and starts flipping through the channels. She wants to call Fitz and ask him if he's sleeping but she doesn't want to impose on him and that thought bothers her. For the last month, every time one of them couldn't sleep, they'd call or text the other without a second thought and most of the time they would end up in her room, watching TV. But after the night they spent together, the tension that has settled between them makes her overthink everything. And even though she likes that new side of their relationship in certain situations, she doesn't want it to keep her from spending as much time as she can with him just because she doesn't trust herself when they're alone.

As she keeps flipping through the channels, she finally finds one that airs reruns of Sherlock. They discovered that they were both big fans of the show a few weeks ago so Jemma decides to stop overthinking and texts him, hoping he'll be awake.

(From Jemma to Fitz: Are you sleeping? Cause if not there's Sherlock on TV! Wanna come? :))

After a few minutes, she's starting to think that he may be sleeping ... or avoiding her. No he wouldn't that. Would he? But then her phone bips.

(From Fitz to Jemma: Sure! I'll be there in five minutes. Want me to bring you something?)

(From Jemma to Fitz: No I'm fine! Just you :))

The moment Jemma hits send, she can't help thinking how that must have sounded when she just meant to say something nice and she chastises herself for overthinking again. When she opens the door for him a few minutes later, she's greeted with a beaming but sleepy Fitz carrying two cups of tea and a big pack of sweets.

"I thought it was kind of lame to only bring myself so I brought sweets!" He says with the usual boyish smile he takes when he talks about sweets and as always, Jemma finds it adorable even though she keeps telling him to eat better.

"I swear you have the eating habits of an eight years old left alone with his parent's credit card. How you're so thin and not diabetic is beyond me." She says, rolling her eyes as she's letting him in. "And you know, we're not having a big dinner party, you don't have to bring anything, I'm happy just spending time with you." She says and he looks at her with this warm smile that she only sees directed towards her.

"I have a very fast metabolism ... and when I'm not living in hell, I use my bicycle a lot, keeps me in shape." He says as he makes his way towards the bed, kicking off his shoes in the process, and she can't help noticing that his slightly tight jeans shows how much he is actually in good shape.

She tries to shake that idea out of her head and joins him on the bed. As she's making herself comfortable on the cushions, she sees him yawning for the second time since he came in.

"Fitz, were you sleeping when I texted you? Cause you know you don't have to stay awake to keep me company." She says, reaching for her cup of tea.

"Oh no no no, I'm alright. I'm not tired." He says, obviously lying but she's too happy to spend time with him to insist on it.

As they start watching the show in silence, they're both happy to realize that, even though things might be a bit strange between them now, they're still as comfortable as ever lying against each other on the bed. But as they're watching an especially emotional scene from the last episode of season 2, Jemma can't help thinking about how much she's going to miss Fitz. It had started dawning on her two weeks ago that the shooting was almost over and that Fitz would most likely go back to Scotland. It's weighing on her more and more everyday and, even though she hopes that they will remain in contact, it will probably be a long time before she sees him again.

"So Fitz, do you know what you're going to do after the shooting is over? Are you going back to Glasgow?" She asks her sad tone mixed a sliver of hope that maybe, for some unknown reason, he won't.

"Well that was plan yeah, not that I have job there but I still have my apartment and with the money I made here I would have plenty of time to decide what to do next. But I may have another option actually ..." Jemma had already perked up at the use of the word "was" but now she is fully turned towards him, an encouraging smile on her face so he continues.

"Another director contacted me two days ago. He's a friend of Phil and apparently he was on set last week and he really liked some of my inventions." He says, smiling shyly.

"Oh, is it Antoine Tripplet?" She asks, enthusiastically.

"Yeah, how do you know?"

"Seen him on set and I know him actually, I worked with him two years ago. He's a great guy, really good director and a big techno geek, you should get along just fine!" She says grinning and he rolls his eyes.

"Anyway, he liked what he saw and he asked me to work on his next movie. it starts shooting in about a month and a half in Los Angeles!" He says and Jemma lets out an excited shriek and he can't help smiling at her child like reaction.

"So you think I should accept his offer? Because it means that I'd have to go to Los Angeles pretty much straight after the end of the shooting here to start working on the first designs. And it's going to be a longer shooting so maybe I should think of letting go of my apartment in Glasgow. That's quite a big decision to make, especially for someone who has never left home for more than a few weeks!" He says, looking both excited and nervous.

"Well, from an objective point of view, I think you enjoyed what you did here a lot more than you previous job and knowing Trip, Antoine Tripplet I mean, you're going to have as much fun with him. I think you may have a future in this business and you should take that chance because there's nothing to lose anyway. You can always look for another job once it's over if you realize that's not what you want." She says, trying to contain her trepidation.

"Yeah that makes perfect sense." He says, smiling.

"I know! Also, from a totally selfish point of view, my two next shootings will be in Los Angeles. So that means I'm going to spend at least a year there too and, in fact, I'm actually moving in there as soon as we're done here ..." She says and his crazy smile is now matching her own. "... and that means we could still see each other all the time and discover the city together. Because, let's be honest Fitz, I'm not ready to let you go and not see you everyday and I think this is the best news i've heard in ages." She says, surprising herself with the strength of her own feelings as tears are starting to well up in her eyes, even though she's still smiling widely.

When he hears her words and the emotion in her voice, they match his own feelings so perfectly that he feels the urge to take her in his arms and he doesn't fight it. Their embrace is a bit awkward at first because they're still sitting next to each other but then she turns towards him a bit more and their arms tighten around each other as they both revel in this sweet sensation for a moment.

"So does that mean you're going to consider it?" She says, her voice slightly muffled.

"Yes of course! Actually, I don't think that I have much of a choice because it's a fantastic opportunity and I'm not ready to not see you either Jemma." He says in a soft voice, close to her ears.

Fitz's breath so close to her ear sends shivers down her spine. That fact coupled with the overwhelming joy of knowing that Fitz will remain in her life for much longer than she thought, and thus giving her hope, makes her want to forget all her resolves and kiss him right now. After all, this news changes everything but she still has to wait. So she remains in his arms because she knows that if she looks in his eyes now, she won't resist.

As he's holding her in his arms, his heart is beating faster than ever, he realizes that he made his decision the moment he heard her say she would also be in Los Angeles in the next few months. And as he's feeling her arms tightening around him, he realizes that he would actually take any job if it meant having the opportunity to see her on a regular basis. That's the moment he decides to stop lying to himself. Jemma is not just a friend anymore, she's a lot more than that and it's time he starts doing something about it before it's too late.

Once the excitement is passed and they're back to watching Sherlock, Fitz's tiredness soon falls back upon him. After half an hour, he's slid into a lying down position and ten minutes later, he's sound asleep. Jemma can't see a reason to wake him up now, especially since she's almost sure that she woke him up when she texted him earlier. So she quickly changes into her night clothes, turns off the TV and lights and comes back to bed. She pulls the cover on both of them and deposits a few kisses on his forehead and cheeks before putting her head on his shoulder. Somehow, it feels that with Fitz close to her, she won't have any trouble sleeping.

When Fitz wakes up in the middle of the night, even in his state of half consciousness, he realizes that he's in Jemma's bed again. He also notices that she's not wearing the same clothes anymore, which makes him smile because that means that she deliberately chose not to wake him up and sleep with him. As he's gently wrapping his arm around her shoulder, she automatically and without even waking up, rolls over to get closer to him, her leg entwining in his own and her arm splayed upon his chest. Yes, he's definitely going to start acting upon his feelings for her.


	9. Shooting day 62

"I can't believe tomorrow is already the last day of shooting!" Jemma exclaims as she steps into the hotel lobby followed by Fitz.

"Well since it's almost 4 am, the last day of shooting is today and actually starts in five hours." Fitz answers, grinning as he walks towards the big empty couch facing the lobby's TV. They've been shooting all day and since the deadline is close, they had to stay as late as needed to finish certain scenes even though they knew they had to be back on set by nine to shoot the final scenes.

"Argh, there was no need to remind me of that!" She says as she flops down on the couch. "That's it. I'm never getting off this couch. Tell them to shout the last scenes with my body double." She says with a big sigh and he chuckles.

"I guess that could work if you had one!" He answers as she kicks off her sandals, extends her legs on Fitz's lap and lies back on the couch. He smiles at how she now does that like it's the most natural thing in the world. Fitz had never been really comfortable with physical contact even with really good friends or family members but with Jemma it came gradually and now he doesn't even question it anymore. It's just like that and he couldn't appreciate it more.

"That's just a detail Fitz!" She says, closing her eyes for a moment.

"I'm not carrying you to your room if you fall asleep on the couch Jemma!" He says with a teasing tone, knowing that, actually, he probably would if she asked him.

"How disappointing! But you know what Fitz? The first thing I'm going to do when this shooting is over is staying in bed for a whole day!" She says with a big smile on her face. "I'm serious, I will not leave my bed for a full twenty four hours!"

"Yeah, that sounds like a really good plan." He says as he almost unconsciously grabs her foot and starts massaging it.

"Oh my ... I could really get used to that!" She says with an ecstatic smile on her face and he grins back, looking proud of himself.

"So ... today I called Trip and I told him that I'm going to take the job. So I guess I should be flying to Los Angeles soon after we're done here." Fitz says with a timid smile on his face, waiting to see her reaction. And he's not disappointed.

"Fitz, that's fantastic! I'm so happy for you!" She says, shooting up, not looking so tired anymore. "And you know for ... us too. We're going to have so much fun together!" She adds with a bashful smile, blushing.

"Yeah, about that, I've been thinking about it ... I really hope we can keep seing each other when we're both there. I mean it'd be nice you know to ... go out and ..." He says, blushing and fighting to say what he's been thinking about since the last night they spent together.

"Yes of course. I mean think of how much fun we had with a TV and the sky as our only distraction, in such a big city with so many things to do, we'll be unstoppable Fitz!" She says beaming.

Fitz smiles back sincerely but he cannot help feeling frustrated. He had decided to go all out and ask her out on a date. But of course, that's pretty much what they had been doing for the last two months so it shouldn't surprise him that she doesn't understand that he's asking her out for something different. He had thought he could bring up the subject subtly but the exact status of their relationship being so shady already, he realizes that he's going to have to be really clear if he wants her to understand. He's going to have to tell her that he has more than friendly feelings for her and that he'd like to take her out on a date, a real romantic date and hope that he read the signs she sent him correctly. As he's wondering if now is the right time to do it, Jemma interrupts his musings.

"You know I thought about it too. I really hoped that you would take the job and I'm so so glad you did and ..." Jemma starts, also having difficulties saying what she has in mind. "... the apartment I'm going to be moving in is actually quite big, it has two extra bedrooms ... and I was thinking maybe ... I don't know if you already planned something but, if you'd like you could you know ..." She says and she's actually grateful when Fitz interrupts her.

"... come and live with you?" He says, raising his eyebrows.

"Yeah?" She says tentatively. "I mean, I'd understand if you'd prefer to have you own place but you know, rent is so expensive in Los Angeles and you'd probably be better than in an hotel for six more months and really ..."

"Jemma stop, I love that idea!" He says grabbing her hand to stop her rambling.

"Yeah?" She says, smiling bashfully and locking her eyes with his.

"Yeah!" He says, smiling back, feeling his heart beat a little faster because of how intensely she's looking at him right now.

As they stay like that for a moment, lost in each other's eyes and holding hands, Jemma tells herself that now would be the perfect moment to tell him. Tell him how she feels and hope for the best. But after all, they already had a lot of perfect moments and it wouldn't be fair to tell him now. It wouldn't be fair to him, it wouldn't be fair to anyone. Only a few more days and she can tell him. A few more days and then, they'll have all the time in the world to figure out if it could work.

"But are you sure that you're ready to live with me and see me everyday? You know I can get pretty messy. You've seen my hotel room!" He says grinning. He knows this would never be a real problem between them but he's actually really wondering if she'll still like him if they see each other all the time. What if they run out of things to talk about once they live together, what if their relationship only worked because they were stuck in the desert. Jemma is a very social person. In Los Angeles, she's bound to make new friends and maybe she'll get bored of antisocial, shy and grumpy Fitz. And what if they end up just simple roommates merely talking to each other when they cross paths in the apartment.

"Well. I'm pretty sure I can live with that." She says smiling and thus interrupting his paranoid thoughts. "And I'm not perfect either anyway. You have to know right away that I'll probably claim 90% of shelf space in the bathroom. Also I sing a lot ... and I have an horrible _horrible_ voice." She adds, grinning and he smiles back.

"Okay, well I guess we'll have to make do with each other's weird habits then!" He says, letting go of his apprehensions.

"Yeah ... Fitz?"

"Yes Jemma?"

"I'm really excited about this." She says, squeezing the hand that's still intertwined with hers.

"Me too!" He answers beaming, locking eyes with her again and he knows that now is the right time.

As he's about to dive in for good and tell her how he feels, they hear a voice coming from the other side of the lobby.

"Jemma?"

The moment she hears his voice, Jemma freezes completely. She immediately lets go of Fitz's hand and her face goes completely pale. So pale actually that Fitz looks sincerely worried about her and it makes her insides twist with guilt.

"Jemma, are you alright? Do you know him?" He asks with a soft voice.

"Yes Fitz, listen there's something you need to know but I promise, that's not how it looks like and ..." She starts, but then she's interrupted again and she knows it's too late anyway. He had to come. And of all the moments he could have chosen, he chose to come now that she's with Fitz.

"Hey baby, I wanted to surprise you but the guy at reception told me you were probably still shooting. I was waiting over there, I almost didn't see you!" The man says as he gets to her and gives her a quick peck on the lips before hugging her.

"Hey Will! That was so nice of you to come." She says as she awkwardly hugs her boyfriend back. "Did you get my message the other day? Because you never called back." She asks with a slightly embarrassed smile as she takes a step back from him.

"Oh no. I didn't have any reception at all back there. But I finished early and when I finally got back to civilisation, I decided to come straight here to surprise you. My voicemail was bursting, I didn't have the courage to listen to all of it." He says, chuckling.

"Yeah I thought so ..." She answers.

As he's watching them talk to each other, Fitz feels like he's living a nightmare. One of those nightmares that starts like a dream in a nice meadow on a sunny day and then suddenly, a monster comes in, the sky turns black and you just run away until you wake up in your bed, your heart beating really fast but so relieved that it was just a bad dream. Except that, as much as he's trying to, Fitz doesn't wake up from this one. Actually now that he thinks about it, it all makes sense. That's why she backed away when they were about to kiss even though she looked like she wanted it as much as he did. That's why one minute, she's all flirty and intense and the next, she backs away like she's having an internal fight with herself. Fitz had thought about all the possibilities. He thought maybe she wasn't sure of how she felt, maybe she was scared that he didn't feel the same, even though he wasn't so subtle about it these last few days. Of course, he considered the possibility that he was just reading her wrong and she only liked him as a friend. But never once did he think that she had a boyfriend. How can someone have a boyfriend and never mention him once in two months? What could that mean? When he makes eye contact with her, he feels like he's taking a hundred punches to the stomach and decides that he can't be in her presence any longer.

"I'm going to bed. Good night Jemma" He says, trying to make his voice sound as neutral as possible, while he's getting up and starts making his way to the elevator.

"Oh, I'm sorry. You two were talking, did I interrupt anything?" Will says, completely ignorant of the drama playing in front of him. His friendly smile makes Fitz incredibly angry. Deeply, he knows that this guy is not responsible for his misery but the fact that he looks so nice makes him want to punch him in his stupid hog face. Badly.

"No, don't worry. It was nothing important." he answers and after one last look at Jemma, he turns his back to them and quickly walks to the elevator before any of them stops him again. All this time, he kept telling himself that he should do something about his feelings for Jemma before it's too late. But it was never too late because it was never a possibility. The woman he loves obviously loves someone else and there's nothing he can do about it.

As Fitz is walking away from her, he doesn't see that the smile on her face is completely fake. He doesn't see that she hugs her boyfriend, not because she missed him but to hide the tears that are threatening to fall from her eyes because she had promised herself she'd never hurt Fitz again. The amount of pain, sadness and anger he managed to express in a single look directed towards her makes her feel like she's going to be sick. She had planned everything perfectly, she was going to make things right with everyone and she was going to be so happy. But then she managed to muck things up again and this time, there would be no fixing it. Her relationship with Fitz is broken and it's all her fault.


	10. Last day of shooting

**Hey :) Thanks everyone for the follows and nice reviews, I hope you'll keep liking this until the end! And the end is coming soon! After this chapter, there will only be one big chapter and two smaller ones to conclude the story and they will be posted at the same time. It should come soon enough but it still might take a bit longer than usual so I have the time to proof read it and maybe make some last minute changes.**  
 **This one is a bit different from the others, hope you'll enjoy it anyway and I'll be back with a lot more talking in the next chapter!**

After barely three hours of sleep, Jemma wakes up sad, tired but determined. Even though she knows that this is going to be complicated, she has decided that she will not let go of Fitz so easily. Unfortunately, their last day of shooting is even more intense than they predicted and every time Jemma tries to get away from set for five minutes in the hope to find Fitz, someone calls for her and she has to go back. When the director yells cut for Jemma's last scene at the end of the day, everyone is here to applaud and congratulate her but as she scans the crowd present on set, there's no trace of the one face she wanted to see all day. Of course that does not surprise her, the look he gave her before leaving the previous night showed how much he was hurt. And not knowing the whole story, he has every right to feel betrayed that she never mentioned her boyfriend when they had been so close for the past two months. The only sliver of hope she gets from this whole situation is that now she's pretty sure that Fitz has strong, more than friendly feelings for her.

As she's considering leaving to try and find Fitz now, she realizes it's already 8 pm and she's supposed to meet Will for dinner this evening. So she leaves the set, goes back to her room to get a quick shower and gets out to join him at the hotel restaurant, the only available in a thirty miles radius anyway. As she's making her way down, she's thinking of Fitz and tells herself that it's probably better she talks to Will before she finds Fitz to try and salvage their relationship. When she arrives, Will is already waiting for her at a table in a quiet corner of the restaurant. As he gets up to greet her, she can see that he's going for a kiss so she makes the quick decision to go for a hug instead, hoping he won't realize just now how awkward it feels to her. Before the shooting began, Jemma had been with Will for about six months. It was a nice, comfortable relationship but she wasn't feeling very passionate about it anymore. So when she learned that they wouldn't see or talk to each other for two months, she decided it would be a test. Will was going to be on a secret mission for the US Army and she would be in the desert shooting a movie. If she had somehow missed him during this time, she would have given their relationship another chance. But as time passed, it was more obvious everyday that she didn't miss him. And it's only when she had the fight with Fitz that she realized that, with no intention of hiding his existence, she didn't even talk about him once in all the weeks they've known each other. At this point, the decision of breaking up had already been made.

And then came Fitz. At first, it was nice to have someone from home to talk about all those things she couldn't talk about with most people. Then she started to realize how sweet and funny and overall adorable he was. And then came the massage and the night they spent in the same bed. Everything became a complete mess in her brain. Did she want to break up with Will because she no longer loved him or did she want to break up with him because she wanted to be with someone else? She changed her mind a hundred times about how she should handle things but when she learned that Fitz would probably come to Los Angeles, she decided that the best course of action was to break up with Will as soon as she came home and then she could have a lengthy discussion with Fitz. She supposed he wouldn't be very happy about the fact that she failed to mention her boyfriend but with her explanations, hopefully he would understand and then they could start on a new base, see where this could go. It's only when Will arrived unannounced that it all became cristal clear to her. When he kissed her, it was a really chaste kiss, their lips barely even touching each other but it felt weird. Not only because she hadn't seen him in a while or because she didn't feel anything but friendship and and some kind of tenderness for him. It felt weird because it felt like cheating on Fitz when it was her boyfriend she was kissing.

"Jemma, are you listening to me?" Will says, interrupting her in her musings.

"Oh no sorry Will, I'm just so tired, I think I really need a good night's sleep." She says with a smile she hopes is convincing.

"Okay ... but are you sure that's all there is? Because, and correct me if I'm wrong, but you've been ... strange since last night. I feel like you're not so happy to see me, are you mad at me for something maybe?" He says, a worried tone in his voice and she can't help feeling a little guilty. She had thought that the right thing to do was to wait to see him face to face to break up. In a moment of weakness, she did almost break up with him over the phone but she is glad that she didn't. But now that he's come here especially to see her, she starts thinking that maybe it would have been better to tell him sooner.

"Oh no, I'm not mad at you Will, you did nothing wrong ..." She says, her smile faltering."... but there's something I've been meaning to talk to you about ..."

"... Oh..."

The "night" that followed Will's arrival, Fitz didn't sleep at all. He didn't even try to. When he made it to his room, he stupidly went for the mini bar and downed the mini bottle of whisky he found there in one gulp. After that, he sat on his bed, blankly looking at the wall while replaying pretty much every moment spent with Jemma in his head to try and understand ... everything. When it didn't bring him any sort of explanation, he went for the minibar again and downed another small bottle of liquor. Just when he was starting to doze off, his phone buzzed and signaled him that it was time to wake up and go back to work. So he took a shower and the strongest coffee he could find and went back on set with the worst headache he ever had. Not that he wasn't used to drinking but that much alcohol coupled with the lack of sleep and everything going on in his head, made a deadly combination.

Fortunately or not, the day is hectic and he doesn't really have any time to talk to anyone, less to Jemma since she is, after all, the lead actress and present in every scene. He wants to talk to her and see her to understand everything but he's not sure if he is ready to hear what she has to say. When the day is over, he doesn't feel like celebrating with everyone else so he goes back to his room to try and get some sleep. But it is a lost cause because he cannot put his mind at ease. Every time, he tries to think of something else, his mind manages to go back to her somehow. So he decides to get down to the lobby to get some coffee and the courage to go talk to her. As he's gathering his thoughts and mentally preparing himself for what's coming, he hears the elevator doors open and sees her get out of it. She looks so lost in thoughts that she passes only a few meters away from him and doesn't see him at all. He wants to call her out but he hesitates and by the time he finally decides to do it, she's at the entrance of the restaurant and he sees "him" gesturing for her. When he sees her hug him, it feels like he physically can't move. His headache and his extreme state of tiredness are nothing compared to how that sole sight makes him feel. When his legs decide to work again, he walks back to his room like a zombie.

When he opens the door, he sees the contract that Trip sent to him and that he's supposed to sign before sending it back to him. When he got the call from Trip about the job, of course he was really flattered that his work was so appreciated. He also honestly really liked working here for Phil Coulson. So even though, he was kind of tempted to say yes, at first he was also really scared and he kind of missed home. But it's when he talked about it to Jemma that he made the final decision to accept the job. She was so excited about it and about the idea of seing him there that it became obvious to him.

And then there was last night and Will and everything changed. He thought that the signals she sent him were pretty clear, especially this past week so how could he interpret them so wrong? There was always a small part of him that wondered how such a beautiful, smart and overall wonderful person could ever be interested in him. And even if she really never was interested in him and only ever saw him as a friend, why did she never even mentioned her boyfriend? Weren't they close enough to share this kind of information or were they, on the contrary, too close? Whatever the reason, she should have told him. There are so many emotions in him right now that he feels like his brain could explode any moment. He's angry, sad, disappointed, lost and utterly, desperately in love with her. It's like their relationship slowly evolved from casual acquaintances to friends, to really good friends to a bit more and someday, without warning, it decided to take a huge step forward and here he was, loving her more than he ever loved anyone. As his eyes remain focused on the contract, he realizes that it's not so tempting anymore. Whatever the state of their relationship is, he knows he'll never be able to live with her and see her with him everyday. He still hopes they can somehow stay friends because never seing her again sounds even more horrible than seing her with him. But first, he needs time away to think and recover. Away from this world that never was his to begin with and away from her. So he puts the contract aside and opens up his laptop.


	11. Wrapping party

The next day, most of the technical crew is busy packing everything into the trucks. The actors and all the others are free to go but most of them stay at the hotel to enjoy a well deserved day's rest before the wrapping party later that night. As for Jemma, she decides to postpone her plan to stay in bed all day because she won't find sleep until she can make things right with Fitz. So after she wakes up, the first thing she does is going to Fitz's lab. Since it's quite early, she hopes he'll still be there packing up all his things. But when she gets there, everything has already been taken to the trucks and Fitz is nowhere to be found. She wants to go his room but it's still early and she knows he needs sleep as much as she does so she decides to stay in the lobby with a book to wait for him. In the middle of the afternoon, there's still no sign of him so she gathers her courage and goes to his room. He doesn't answer and there's not a sound coming from it. Considering that they are in the middle of the desert, there are not so many places he could be ... unless he's already left.

After checking with the reception that he hasn't in fact checked out, she starts to worry. She starts imagining the worst scenarios of him injured and unconscious or lost in the desert, dehydrated and with no way to ask for help. She tries to reason herself, after all there's probably a perfectly good explanation for his absence. Maybe he took a cab to go to the nearest town to do some shopping before leaving, maybe he's spending the day with someone else, after all he did manage to make a few other friends on set, or maybe he's just really good at avoiding her and he never left the hotel. But the more she tries to convince herself, the less she believes it and at some point, tears start to pool in her eyes and she begins hyperventilating. So she decides to call him. She wanted to see him face to face to talk to him but now all of this doesn't seem really important anymore and she just wants to make sure he's alright. Her calls go directly to voice mail and after three long and probably incomprehensible messages, she decides to stop and wait for him to answer. But not before sending him a text for good measure.

A few hours later, the party begins and as the lead actress, Jemma has to be there. it's not overly fancy or formal and takes place in the hotel restaurant that's been a bit redecorated for the occasion. Jemma tries her best to talk to everyone and spend a last nice evening with the people she worked with for two months and that she will most likely never see again. But Fitz is not there and he's still not answering her calls or texts and her stomach is so twisted with worry that she hasn't been able to eat a thing all day.

When she sees Phil alone and away from every one else, she decides to take her chance. She knows that Phil is one of the few people with who Fitz really bonded during the filming so he might have seen him or at least have an idea of where he is now.

"Hey" She says with a big smile she hopes is convincing.

"Hey" He answers, smiling back. "What's up?"

"Oh you know, nothing special, it feels kinda weird being done with the shooting though, don't you think?" She answers, trying not too sound too obvious by jumping in directly with a question about Fitz.

"Yeah ..."

"Oh I was wondering, have you seen Fitz somewhere? I wanted to ask him something but I couldn't find him anywhere today?" She asks, trying her best to keep her voice steady.

"I've seen him this morning, he was going for a walk, haven't seen him since." He answers, smiling.

"Oh ... okay" She says, slightly relieved that someone has seen him today at least but still worried that he disappeared since then.

"So ... is there something between you two?" Phil asks after a minute of observing Jemma taking out her phone to check if she has messages three times and then putting it away looking more worried every time.

"Whaaat?" She answers, her voice way to high pitched. "No, of course no. We're just really good friends and I wanted to see him before everyone goes home." She answers with a fake smile, slightly blushing.

"Yeah ... sure."

"No really ..."

"Please Jemma." He interrupts her. "I've seen the two of you together. You know I'm your friend and I really don't care for rumors but the one about you and Fitz actually seemed quite believable. Also, for an actress, you're surprisingly bad at lying!" He adds with a raised eyebrow and she knows he's right so she just lowers her gaze, blushing ever more.

Just when she's about to tell him just how worried she is, her phones bips. She manages to get it out of her small purse faster than she ever thought it was possible.

(From Fitz to Jemma: I was out all day, didn't have any reception. I'm back now. Didn't mean to worry you. Sorry.)

When she reads his text, she's so relieved that she lets out a loud gasp and tears are threatening to fall from her eyes.

"Is that him?" Phil asks.

"Yes ..." She answers with a shaky voice.

"He's back at the hotel and safe I suppose?"

"Yes ..."

"Well just go to him Jemma." He says after a moment of silence, his lips quirking up.

"Thank you!" She says and she gives him a light peck on the cheek before making her way to the elevator as fast as she can without running.

When she gets to his door, she stops for a moment before knocking. Her heart is still beating pretty fast from the adrenaline and her eyes are wet. So she takes a few deep inhales, dries her eyes and once she decides she looks reasonably normal, she finally knocks. She can hear him move behind the door and for a moment, she's afraid that he might not open it for her.

When he sent her the text message, Fitz knew Jemma would come to see him soon enough but since she was supposed to be at the wrapping party, he didn't expect her to be here so soon. So when she knocks on the door, he has to take a moment to steady his breathing before opening it.

"Hi" He says in the most neutral tone he can muster as he's opening the door.

"Hi" She says with a timid smile. She doesn't want to sound to cheery but his cold tone cannot completely erase the slightly irrational relief of seing him after being so worried about him all day. "Can I come in?" She adds with a soft voice.

He doesn't say anything, just nods his head and moves to the side to let her in. They stay like that for a moment, looking into each other's eyes and not saying a word.

"So ... I've been meaning to talk to you since last night but I couldn't ..."

"Yeah well me too actually, but somehow I though your boyfriend wouldn't really appreciate to see me crashing in your room like I did these past two months." He says and Jemma can't help wincing at his snappy tone. She had promised herself she would never hurt him again after their argument and here they were again barely a week later.

"Fitz ... it's not what ..." She starts but then she finally realizes that his room is abnormally tidy and when she scans it, she can see that he's almost finished packing. She had hoped that they could have the time to set things right between them and that he would wait for her so they could take the plane to Los Angeles together in two days. "Oh ... you're finished packing, are you leaving early? Is that why you weren't at the party?" She asks with a sad smile.

"Wasn't really in the mood to party anyway ... but yeah I'm taking a plane in the morning."

"Oh ... okay. Does Trip need you early in Los Angeles? You know, you can still stay at my place even if you get there before me, I'll just have ..."

"No Jemma." He interrupts her. "Listen I-I'm not going to Los Angeles. I'm going home to Glasgow." He says with a sad smile.

"But I thought Trip needed you to start working really soon. Has the schedule for the movie changed?" She asks and he shakes his head, making her look even more confused.

"No ... I'm not doing the movie Jemma. I'm going home ... definitely. I don't know what I'm going to do yet, probably look for a new job and then ..." He starts but she interrupts him.

"What? Why? You were so excited about this job ..." She says with a shaky voice.

When he sees the tears that are again threatening to fall from her eyes, his resolves start to crumble and he has to fight the impulse of taking her in his arms because he knows it will only make things worse for both of them.

"Well I was at first ... but then I thought about it and I ... it's just not for me is all. All my life is in Scotland. My family and my friends are there. There's nothing keeping me here really. And you know I've never been an adventurer anyway so I really think it's better this way." Fitz says and he's somehow proud of himself for managing to deliver his well rehearsed speech without faltering.

"No ... no I don't ... I don't believe that Fitz. You can't change your mind so quickly. What's the real reason? Why ... why are you really leaving?" She asks, shaking her head in denial. She knew he would be mad or sad or probably both but she didn't think he would just leave without giving her a chance to explain herself to salvage their relationship and give it a chance to maybe become something more.

"Oh come on Jemma, you know why ... What do you want me to say?" He says with more anger in his voice than he intended. At his words, the tears start to fall from Jemma's eyes and he has to fight the impulse to comfort her again.

"But we were going to have so much fun together and we were going to discover the city together and I was thinking that maybe we could ..." She starts, trying to control her voice the best she can.

"I know ... it would have been nice and I'm not saying I don't ever want to see you again but you won't need me there, you're a very likable person Jemma, I'm sure you'll make new friends in no time and you ..." He starts with a smile that doesn't quite reach his eyes but she interrupts him.

"Oh so that's what you think, that I want you to come to keep me company until I find other friends? Do you think that's what we've been doing these past two months? Just killing time together? We've been over this already. I could never replace you with anyone, I've already told you how much you mean to me." She says, her voice taking a much harder tone and her sudden burst of anger surprises him, rendering him speechless. "Or maybe I'm not as important for you as I thought if you're willing to leave without even trying to make things better between us. What if I didn't come tonight, were you going to leave a note or-or ..." And as Jemma is starting to have difficulties finding her words, Fitz gets his voice back.

"No Jemma, you know how important you are. That's the problem and I just- I ... don't think I can ..." He wants to tell her everything, tell her how he feels about her, how much seing her with Will hurt him but the words remain stuck in his throat again.

"And what if I told you I broke up with Will?" She says, her voice barely a whisper but with such intensity that it takes his breath away. Their eyes remain locked onto each other's until he finally manages to get a few words out.

"I don't know Jemma ... I'm sorry, things didn't look so bad between you ..." He says as his brain is assaulted by so many mixed feelings that he's surprised it hasn't exploded yet. There are so many things he wants to say or ask and somehow, that's the only one he manages to blurt out when sorry really is the last thing he's feeling about Jemma breaking up with Will.

"They weren't ... there was just one major problem, it wasn't his fault really but there was nothing he could do about it ... that any of us could do about it ..." She says, getting a little closer to him, her eyes still locked on his and at this moment, he thinks she might be some kind of witch because as much as he tries he just cannot tear them away from her.

"Oh ... and what was it then?" he asks, his voice raspy and his accent made thicker by the intensity of everything he's feeling at the moment.

"He wasn't you Fitz." She says, her voice sounding huskier than it ever did. He tries to say something but all he manages to do is stare at her as his heart is beating out of his chest. As she's taking him in, she is overwhelmed by his intoxicating smell she has grown to love over the weeks. Her eyes can't stop flitting from his impossibly intense blue eyes to his soft looking lips, slightly parted as he's visibly trying to speak, and that's when she doesn't want any of them to speak anymore.

She crosses the gap between them and the next second, she pulls his face down with her hands and crashes her lips to his. After the initial shock, he quickly reciprocates her kiss, encircling her waist to bring her even closer. After days and weeks of fantasizing that kiss, somehow they didn't think that the real thing could live up to their imagination. But as they both revel in the sensation of their lips hungrily moving against each other and the closeness of their bodies, they realize that sometimes reality can be even better. When Jemma moves her hands from his face to his hair as she gently nimbles on his lower lip, they can both feel the electricity coursing through their bodies and he opens his mouth to deepen the kiss. The intensity with which he kisses her as he brings her even closer, forcing her to arch her back, surprises her and she can't stop the slight moan that escapes her lips. She feels so soft and passionate and overall completely amazing that for a moment, he forgets everything else and his kiss is fueled by all the pent up emotions of the last two months.

As much as she'd like for that kiss to last forever, Jemma has to stop for air at some point so after one more languid kiss to the lips and then another last one, she lets go of him, taking a step back. "I'm sorry." She says, completely out of breath. "I'm sorry, I had to do it, I had to know Fitz and I had to ... show you how I felt. If you really go back to Scotland, I would have regretted not doing it at least once." She adds, unable to keep her eyes off of his awestruck, beautiful flushed face.

"Don't Jemma. Please don't apologize ... not for this anyway because it was just ... perfect." He says, as breathless as she is. "I'm just so ... confused. Why? Why didn't you tell me about him and what does _that_ mean?" He says gesturing between the two of them before bringing his hands behind his neck in this nervous gesture she has come to recognize. The husky tone in his voice and the thickness of his accent, that she didn't even realize had such an effect on her, just makes her want to kiss him senseless until there's not a breath of air left in their lungs. Because she's tired of speaking and now that she's had a taste of him, she wishes that she could fix all their issues with kisses and cuddles and move on to the next stage of their relationship. But she knows that if she wants a chance of that happening, she owes him an explanation. So she forces herself to take a big inhale to slow down her heart before speaking.

"I never wanted to hide his existence from you Fitz, not voluntarily anyway. Even before the shooting, things weren't great with him and I think that's why I never talked about him. We had so many things to talk about, you and I, that he didn't even come to mind. And at first, we were only friends anyway so I didn't give it much thought but I just assumed you knew. Everyone did but of course I should have known that you didn't, because you don't care for tabloids or stupid rumors about celebrities because you're just so bloody ... perfect." She says rolling her eyes, somehow annoyed that he is so beyond reproach.

"What? I'm not per ..." He starts but she cuts him.

"Yes to me, you really are but please, let me finish. Anyway, it's only when we had this ... fight that I realized that you didn't know. And I-I think that ... I wasn't thinking straight, I was so stupidly emotional and I liked the way our relationship was evolving way too much and I knew it would have changed everything if I told you. I had already decided to break up with him for a while but that's when I realized that I wanted to do it not only because I didn't love him anymore but because my feelings for you were a lot more than friendly." And even though the kiss made that very clear already, he cannot stop his lips from quirking up a bit at her confession. "But it was such a mess in my head because I wanted to end things with him before trying with you ... if you wanted to I mean ... but you weren't supposed to stay in the US so how could it have worked? I even tried to break up with him over the phone, which is a horrible thing to do, after the night we spent together because it was just so ... and I mean we just slept." She says blushing a bit at the memory and she chastises herself for it because how ridiculous is it to blush at the memory of just sleeping close to someone after such a passionate kiss? "But he was unreachable and then you told me you'd stay in Los Angeles and everything was going to perfect because I could ..."

"... have made things right with everyone." He says, finishing her sentence matter of factly. "Oh my god, this is crazy I don't even know why I'm doing this." He adds as he realizes that none of this really matters because the woman he loves is single and as amazing as he always thought she was and she actually wants to be with him.

"Why-what do you mean? I really ..." She starts, looking adorably confused but he doesn't give her the time to finish her sentence.

He closes the distance between them again and gently backs her against the door as he kisses her with just as much passion as she did and she kisses him back without a second's hesitation, getting on her tiptoe to loop her arms around his neck. This time it's less urgent and desperate but oh so sweet. Her back is almost completely bare with the low cut dress she's wearing and as he lets his hands roam freely on it, they both moan simultaneously at the amazing sensation of his warm hands against her cold skin and their synchronicity makes them both smile into the kiss. After a minute, he breaks the kiss before gently cupping her face with his hand to look into her beautiful eyes. "It was a complicated situation Jemma and now I know you tried your best to do right by everyone. You broke up with him for me. What more could I ever ask of you?" He says with a tender smile and she smiles back as tears are now falling freely from her eyes.

"Oh no please don't cry Jemma. We're going to be alright now, won't we?" He says, gently wiping the tears away with his thumb.

"Oh don't worry, those are happy tears Fitz. I think there's something about those little eyes of yours though, they're just so ... intense. I can't help it." She says, smiling even wider now.

"Okay but what if I told you that for the past two weeks, I've had almost no trouble sleeping at all and I started drinking a lot of coffee just to stay awake and spend time with you?" He says, looking embarrassed. He really thought that she would laugh at how stupid he was but he gets the opposite reaction from her.

"Oh Fitz" She says, starting to tear up again, her tiredness making her even more emotional than she already is. "You've done it again. You're just so bloody adorable and you don't even realize it."

"No but it was quite stupid, really I think I might be getting addicted now, I'll have to go to a caffein rehab center, I'm sure they have something like that in Los Angeles and you'll have to come visit me of course because it's kind of your fault ..."

As she knows he's having way too much fun to stop on his own when he starts like this, she decides to stop him with another kiss.

"You know, if you do that every time I start rambling I'm gonna start doing it even more." He says with a big teasing smile on his face as they break the kiss.

"So does this mean that you'll be going to Los Angeles after all?" She asks, her face growing serious again.

"Well ... yeah I think there might be something pretty ... amazing keeping me here after all ..." He says and she relaxes again. "... also that stupid non refundable plane ticket to Glasgow cost me 800 dollars and since there's no way I'm gonna leave now that I have you, I'm gonna need the money that comes with Trip's offer." He says and they both laugh.

"Oh Fitz, you really are a drama queen." She says teasing and he rolls his eyes at her. "Maybe I should have waited for you to be at the airport and then run after you just before you got on the plane. You would have liked that, right?" She adds and for a moment he actually thinks about it.

"Naaah ... It would have been too much. I mean with the nights we spent under the stars cuddled against each other and everything, we don't want it to be too cheesy." He says and she looks at him with a mischievous look that confuses him. "What?"

"Well do you know what they do in a movie when the story is a bit too sweet?" She asks, smiling widely now.

"No ... I don't know ... What?"

"They spice it up with a really good ... sex scene ..." She says, looking at him with an amused smile as she's biting her lip. This sight coupled with the words she just said leave him dumbfounded and she uses this moment of confusion to kiss him again and push him backwards until he's just in front of the bed. She gives one final push and he falls on the bed without resisting too much. She doesn't give him time to react though because the next second she's on top of him and kissing him even more passionately.

Once he recovers from being so violently pushed on the bed, he feels like he has no choice but to kiss her back. After thinking about kissing her for so long, he cannot believe that he's in bed with her and it's better than everything he has imagined. When they need to get some air and she rests on one elbow to start kissing his neck, he takes advantage of her unbalanced position to flip them over and ends up on top of her. She lets out a delighted shriek that he swallows with another languid kiss.

"Jemma, I really hate to ask you this but ... don't you need to ... go back down ... to the party?" He asks breathless as he kisses her neck and every part of her skin available to him. "I mean, we don't have to ... you know ... now, we can wait a little more." He adds with a soft smile and she can't help the tender smile that stretches her lips.

"Fitz again, that's adorable but I couldn't care less about the party, I'm with you now and that's all that matters so just kiss me!" She says as she wraps her legs around him and pulls him to her by his shirt collar to make her point.

"Jemma?" He asks between kisses.

"Yes?" She answers, her lips barely detaching from his.

"Can I call you doctor now?"

 ******Ratings change for the next chapter, it goes from T to M for explicit sexual content**** I wasn't going to write this part but then I thought it would be nice to resolve all this sexual tension! If you're uncomfortable with this, you can just skip to the next chapter. There won't be much happening, just mostly smut and some fluff. I'll write a quick sum-up at the beginning of next chapter.**


	12. After party

******Ratings change for this chapter, it goes from T to M for explicit sexual content**** I wasn't going to write this part but then I thought it would be nice to resolve all this sexual tension! If you're uncomfortable with this, you can just skip to the next chapter. There won't be much happening, just mostly smut and some fluff. I'll write a quick sum-up at the beginning of next chapter.**

"Can I call you doctor now?"

"Fiiiitz" She says, laughing as she captures his lips again.

"I'm serious! I've never tried the whole roleplaying stuff ..." He says with a teasing tone and she rolls her eyes.

"Well actually, right now I'm quite happy being myself ... and I don't want to be with anyone else ... and it wouldn't even be role play anyway because I _am_ a doctor!" She says with a tender smile and he lets go of the teasing to cup her cheek softly and lay the softest of kisses on her lips. It's not the hottest ones they shared that night but it's filled with so much love that it sends shivers down her spine so when he breaks the kiss to tell her that he wouldn't want to be with anyone else either, she barely lets him talk. She brings his head down for a much hungrier kiss as her hands start going down his back and up again under his shirt. The sensation makes him gasp slightly and his own hands start moving from her shoulders to the legs encircling his waist. He goes slowly up from her ankles to her thighs tracing delicate patterns with the tips of his fingers. He hesitates to go higher by fear of going too fast but then she lets out a loud moan that he takes as a sign of encouragement. So he continues on his trail up until his hands are palming her through her panties and her moans become louder.

When she needs to stop for air, she breaks their kiss and lays her head back, overwhelmed by the sensation of Fitz's hands on her body and his lips now on her neck and collarbone. She can't help thinking back to that amazing massage he gave her and how she wondered how it would be like if she let him put his hands on every other part of her body. At some point, she realizes that he has stopped kissing her and when she opens her eyes again, she sees that he's looking at her with the softest expression in his eyes.

"What is it?" She asks with a lazy smile.

"Nothing ... it's just that I've thought about kissing you ... a lot ... since we almost kissed the other day and I never thought it would live up to my imagination but it does! I think I'd be happy doing exactly that for the rest of my life." He says, smiling down at her and she is, again, overwhelmed by how sweet he is. She never thought she'd meet someone who could somehow look so innocent while touching her in the most erotic way she's ever felt.

"Adorable!" She says with a soft smile.

"Hey ... stop saying I'm adorable, it's not very ... manly" He says, looking slightly offended as he slides off of her to lay on his side.

"I'm sorry Fitz, there's nothing you can do about it, you just are. I think that's actually the first thing I told myself when I saw you the night we met. And you just kept confirming that you really are." She says in a teasing tone as she turns around slightly to face him and capture his pouting lips for one more tender kiss. "But I promise you, I never doubted your virility ... and even less now." She says as she snakes her arm behind his back and rests her hand on his ass to bring him closer. He gasps at the sensation but that doesn't stop him from doing the same and she smiles widely.

"You know, I totally understand what you said about the kiss." She says, her voice getting huskier. "Except that ... since the massage ... I had a lot more than kissing on my mind." She finishes with a hungry smile.

"Oh ... I told you I was quite good, didn't I?" He says with a cocky grin while still slightly blushing.

"Oh no Fitz, you are really _really_ good." She says biting her lower lip and when he sees how her pupils have dilated at the memory, he starts to understand what she's saying.

"Wh... Do you mean ..." he says as his eyes widen.

"Almost ... and well ... let's just say that if you hadn't stopped, this could have become pretty embarrassing for me." She says, a little out of breath.

For a moment, he does nothing and she blushes under his scrutiny . As she's about to ask him if there's something wrong, his lips start to quirk up again in a mischievous smile and he pushes himself back in a sitting position. He takes Jemma's hand to pull her up too so she sits with her back to him.

"Mmhh Fitz, what are you ..." She starts but then he starts massaging her shoulders and upper back and she is momentarily distracted by how nice it feels. She definitely didn't amplify that memory in her mind. "Mmmhh ... this is obviously really nice but ... oh my ... okay ..." She says, slightly moaning. She really want to finish her sentence but as he's dangerously descending towards her lower back, it's getting even harder to concentrate. " ... but I didn't tell you this so you would give me another one ... I was quite happy with where things were going really." She says, turning her head to try and catch his eyes.

"Oh me too, believe me ... and I'd really like to get there soon ..." He whispers in her ear before languidly kissing her neck and grinning when he sees the pebbled skin all over her back. "... but you said _almost_ ... and you know I never back away from a challenge!" He adds, his brogue thicker than ever.

At this moment, she doesn't know what is sexier: the way his chest and a certain part of his anatomy are pressed against her back as his hands wander all over her back or the note of cocky confidence in his voice. That's a totally new side of him and she is delighted to discover it, especially in those circumstances.

"Oh so you really think you can pull this off ..." She says, her tone playful.

"Mmmhhh ... I don't know, given enough time and with all that amazingly soft skin that wasn't available to me the last time ..." He starts as his hands are now over her shoulders and start to slowly descend past her collarbone. "... I'm willing to give it a try. Are you?" He continues and his hands are now under her dress and on her breasts. When she lets out a very loud moan and lays her head back against his, he takes it as a yes and starts alternating between massaging her skin and gently pinching her erect nipples.

Jemma congratulates herself on choosing a dress that needed to be worn without a bra because it would really be a shame not to have his hands directly on her skin right now. As he lets his hand descend on the very sensitive skin under her belly button, she stops trying to control her reactions and she feels herself become like putty under his hands. Fitz being so confident is definitely sexy but discovering that he has good cause for being confident is even sexier. Since he obviously knows what he's doing, she lets him take the lead for now. When he reaches her thighs, he takes his hands off of her for a second to grab the hem of her dress and gently pulls on it. She lifts her bottom just long enough for him to pull it up and then she lifts her arms so he can take it off completely before throwing it aside on the ground. As he's about to resume his caresses, she turns around with a a toothy grin.

"Wait!" She says, before kissing him languidly on the lips. In the mean time she fists the fabric of his shirt in her hands and breaks the kiss long enough to pull it from him and throw it on the ground with her dress. If he insists on having his chest pressed against her back, she wants to feel more of his skin against her own. As she's taking him in, she realizes she was not prepared for his surprisingly thin but really nice muscled chest and shoulders. When she looks up, her eyes lock with his impossibly blue ones rendered a lot darker by desire and it's like they physically can't stay away from each other for another second.

When Fitz comes face to face to a beautifully and almost fully naked Jemma looking at him with such hungry eyes, he feels such a rush of heat coursing through his body that he has to be close to her again, to feel the heat of her body against his own. They meet in the middle and their lips crash on each other's with renewed passion. When Fitz licks her lower lip, she lets out another loud moan and doesn't hesitate to deepen the kiss, entwining her tongue with his. Without breaking the kiss, she puts her hands on his shoulders and for a second she's distracted by how nice and firm they feel, but she quickly recovers and uses them as leverage to hoist herself up and straddle his thighs. When her hips come in contact with the hardness in his pants, they both gasp in each other's mouth. She follows him down and the feeling of her breasts against his chest coupled with the slight rolling of her hips makes him completely forget what he had in mind for a time.

"Jemma ... you're ... amazing" He says, breathless as she's now leaving a trail of hot open mouth kisses all over his chest.

"You're pretty ... amazing ... yourself" She says between kisses as she feels his hands descending towards her lower back and under her panties to knead the flesh of her arse. "Oh my ... Fitz" She cries out when his hands come to tease the delicate skin of her inner thighs and as much as she tries to stay focused on kissing him, she ends up admitting defeat when his hands come all the way back up to cup her breasts, making her arch her back a little. He does something quite amazing with the tips of his fingers and at this moment she starts believing that he could do it. He could actually give her an orgasm with a simple massage, a very sensual massage that is.

When he sees the look of pure ecstasy on her face, she's so beautiful that his heart fills with love once more and somehow, his brain starts working again and he decides to forget his own aching arousal for a time and go through with his plan. He's so happy and proud to be able to make the most wonderful woman in the world feel this way that he wants to make it last as long as he can. He gently pulls her to him and flips them over to lay her on her back again. Then he proceeds to kiss and caress and massage and tease every part of her body except the obvious one that would make things way too easy for him. Following her responses to his ministrations, he gives extra attention to her breasts, her thighs and that one special spot behind her ear that makes her whimper especially loud every time he kisses it.

As his hands and lips roam expertly all over her body, Jemma is overwhelmed with pleasure, it's like a sensory overload and at some point she starts to believe that magic does exist after all. There can be no other explanation to how he's making her feel right now without even getting close to her center. She's had nice sexual experiences in the past but nothing that can quite compare to that. This shouldn't really surprise her because Fitz has proven time and again over the weeks how thoughtful he could be but she never imagined how far it could go under those circumstances. When she senses that her orgasm is actually starting to build she feels like she cannot wait any longer and she almost begs him to stop the teasing.

"Fitz please ... I want you now ... all of you!" She says breathless as she brings him closer for a searing kiss that only serves to bring her even closer to the edge.

"Be patient Jemma ... you won't regret it" He says with a cocky grin when they break the kiss, making her feel frustrated but also even more aroused at the same time. And before she has the time to say anything else, he resumes his kissing of her neck and when his mouth latches on her nipple while his hand is massaging its pair, she feels the tingling in her toes that announces the wave of pleasure to come. He must sense that she is really close too because he does something new with his tongue and that's what finally does it for her. It starts in her legs and makes its way up until it explodes from her center, which is a very strange but delicious feeling since he didn't even touch her there. She lets her head fall back and forgets all notion of modesty or inhibition she had left.

"Oh my ... oh my god ... Fitz!" She cries out as her orgasm washes over her like a seismic wave and he can feel all her body tensing so he keeps plastering it with the sweetest of kisses while he gently takes one of her hands that was tightly gripping the sheet and entwines his fingers with hers, letting her hold on to him instead of it. It's only when her hand finally relaxes in his own and he can hear her let out a pleasure induced breathless laugh that he stops. He gives her one last delicate kiss on the lips before coming to rest next to her on the bed. He immediately opens his arm for her to come rest her head on his chest and gently strokes her hair while she tries to catch her breath. After a few minutes, she lifts her head to look at him with a somehow bashful smile.

"That was ... I can't believe this actually just happened ..." She says and he smiles widely at her. "You know what? I take back everything I said before, magic may be real after all because you have to be some kind of unicorn, a very manly unicorn of course ...you're ... incredible" She says, her smile quite ecstatic now.

"And you are really quite inspiring ..." He says gently drawing patterns on her back. "... and believe me, it was my genuine pleasure." He says before kissing her hair.

"Mmmhhmm ... this is nice." She says, snuggling even closer, her arm plastered on his chest.

"Yes, it is." He says, a soft smile on his face. They stay like that for a moment, not talking or moving, just enjoying each other's presence and warmth. Fitz gets lost in in his mind for a while, thinking what their situation was only a few hours ago. Bad timing and a lack of communication could have ruined everything between them. If he had managed to get to the airport on time and catch the plane he wanted to take this morning, he might have never seen her again. He might never have given her the chance to explain what was really no one's fault If he hadn't had this whole day to cool down. Which is an ironic way of describing what he had done all day, since he went for a walk, that turned into a hike in the desert when he got lost at some point and was too proud to call someone for help. Hopefully, he went there prepared and finally managed to get back safely with only a sunburn on the neck to remind him of his little adventure. When he made it back to the hotel, he listened to all of Jemma's messages and decided that she deserved better than the note he actually was planning on leaving for her and that they could at least have a real conversation. And oh was he happy that they did!

He is interrupted in his train of thoughts by the feeling of Jemma's fingers tracing patterns on his chest just like he's doing on her arm. When he starts to shiver at the sensation, she looks at him with a wide grin.

"Proud of yourself, aren't you?" He says, grinning back.

"Mmmhhmm" She says as her fingers are replaced by her lips and she starts leaving a trail of small kisses all over his chest then slowly makes her way up to his neck, his ears, his cheek and finally captures his lips in a tender kiss that soon becomes a lot hotter when he places his hand on her neck. Her skin is still extra sensitive after their previous activity and she can't help the slight moan that escapes her lips at the sensation of his fingers on the delicate skin. As she deepens the kiss, she slowly slides over him to end up straddling his thighs. When they break the kiss, he's looking at her with a look full of tenderness and admiration.

"Jemma, you look exhausted, beautiful but exhausted, we don't have to do anything now, we can wait till morning, we have all the time in the world now." He says, holding her face in his hands.

"Oh Fitz ... I'm sorry to say this again but you're adorable" She says with a fond smile and he playfully rolls his eyes. "What we ... well what _you_ just did really, was probably the most amazingly sensual experience I've had in my entire life but ... I want to be with you now, completely, and I want to show you how much I desire you ... and I know you want that too." She says with a mischievous grin, gently rolling her hips to prove her point, making him gasp in the process.

"That was a really good speech ... and I really have nothing to say against that." He says grinning before pulling her for another scorching kiss. When they break apart, she starts kissing his chest again and down until she reaches his waist. She doesn't hesitate to go for his belt and soon, she has ridden him of his pants and boxer briefs. When she comes back up and straddles him again, he lets out a very loud groan she finds quite enjoyable. So she resumes the movement of her hips until he says her name, his voice breathless and his tone pleading. Of course he's been aroused for so long already so maybe she should stop the teasing now or things might end way too soon for her taste.

"Condom?" She asks with a gentle smile and he nods.

"Wallet ... on the bedside table ..." He says, breathless. She gets off of him to reach for it and rids herself of her panty in the process. She comes back on the bed and gives him a passionate kiss before sitting on his thighs and rolling the condom on him. As she locks eyes with him and after weeks of anticipation, she finally slides onto him with a very loud moan. His hands immediately go to her hips to help her keep her balance as she starts moving on him. They find their rhythm pretty fast and soon, as he starts matching his upward thrusts with her own, they both feel their climax coming.

Watching Jemma from this whole new angle, Fitz knows he won't be able to control himself much longer. She looks like one of those heathen goddesses, bathed in the moonlight that shines through the window and the really sensual and graceful movements of her hips are working wonders for him. So he decides to help things move along faster for her. He slides his hands from her hips to her breasts and starts massaging them the same way that elicited such an enthusiastic response from her earlier. And of course it doesn't disappoint. She starts moaning louder and moving faster until she cries out his name and he feels her body tense as she finally reaches her climax.

At this moment, she feels that, as close as they are right now, it's still not enough. She wants every inch of her skin to be in contact with him, she wants to hold him in her arms and never let him go. So she pulls him to her, locks her hands behind his neck and swallows his groans of pleasure with a languid kiss as she keeps rocking on him until she can finally feel him reach his completion and the wave of her own climax starting to recede. After, they remain in each other's arms for what feels like an eternity but is still not enough for either of them. Sometimes one of them lays a gentle kiss on the the other's lips or neck or cheek but most of the time, they just remain as close as they can, their forehead against each other, just smiling contentedly.

When the lack of the sleep and the exhaustion of their day ... and evening finally catches up to them, they finally lie down under the sheets and Fitz pulls the covers on both of them. The shivers that are coursing through their bodies are not all due to the cold but they still welcome the nice warm sensation. Jemma snuggles back under his arm and against his chest and it feels like it's just exactly where she's meant to be.

"Do you want to go back to the party now?" He asks in a playful but sleepy voice.

"i really don't ... and I don't think I physically can, I'm wayyyyy too relaxed now" She says with a lazy smile and he grins at her. "And since you made me postpone my whole day in bed plan and it's past midnight, I declare that today is that day and that I will not leave this bed until tomorrow!" She adds with a very enthusiastic tone.

"A Jemma in my bed for a whole day ... yeah I think I can live with that" He says as he tilts her chin up to give her a gentle kiss.

"Best day ever!" They both say at the same time and burst out laughing at their synchronicity. But soon, their eyes start closing and when they fall asleep, the contented smiles never leave their faces because, that night, their dreams are almost as good as the evening they just spent.


	13. Let there be light

**For those of you who decided to skip the M rated part, here's a quick sum-up of the previous chapter. Fitz gives her a very sensual massage and then they have great sex! Also we learn that Fitz actually wanted to leave that day and just leave her a note but he didn't get a plane, and of course he's happy about that. He ended up going for a really long walk in the desert, got lost and didn't feel like calling anyone for help. He made it back safely to the hotel with only a bit of a sunburn on his neck** **but it also made him decide to at least hear what she had to say.**

 **Also, this is the final chapter so thanks again to everyone who followed and reviewed this and I hope you'll like the end :)**

The next morning, Jemma wakes up to the sun shining through the windows. For a moment, she feels a bit disoriented, not recognizing the room but then, the events of the previous night come back to mind and her lips quirk up to a big lazy smile. As she stretches her legs and arms like a cat, she turns around in bed to find Fitz looking down at her with a sweet smile.

"Hello sleeping beauty" He says, grinning.

"Hi" She says, grinning back. "What time is it?"

"Almost eleven" He says, extending his arm for her to come lay her head on his chest in a way that is soon becoming an habit.

"Oh my god ten hours straight ... I haven't felt so well rested in ages! If I knew taking your clothes off was all it took to spend a good night, I would have done it a long time ago ..." She says grinning and lifting her chin up to plant a small kiss on his lips.

"Well it took a bit more than that to make you fall asleep ..." He grins back.

"Mmhhmm" She says with an appreciative tone. "Anyway, I'm not spending another night without you!" She adds, snuggling even closer to him.

"I think I might be okay with that" He says smiling. "Soooo does this mean that we are like a ... couple now? Officially?" He asks, his voice suddenly less confident and a lot more tentative.

At this, Jemma cannot help the amused smile making its way on her face and she lifts her head to look at him. She fights the urge to tell him how adorable he is with his apprehensive smile and hair still all tousled from sleep. "Fitz, the third time we spoke to each other, we ended up watching TV all night together. After that, we spent several nights a week together. We watched the stars all alone in the desert and we both know we didn't cuddle only because of the cold." She starts and he slightly blushes at this. "We even slept in each other's arms twice, let's face it Fitz, we've been a couple already for the last two months and it's been the best and most romantic relationship I've had in ... forever I think. Nothing will change really ... except for all the kissing and the sex and I really don't mind that." She finishes with a tender smile he is quick to reciprocate.

"Yeah me neither. I'm actually getting quite used to it." He says before capturing her lips in a sweet but passionate kiss while pulling her closer to him.

"So breakfast?" He asks a little breathless when they break the kiss.

"Mmmhmm yeah" She says, her voice raspy, before giving him one last kiss. "Just give me ten minutes to go grab some clothes in my room and we can go get breakfast." She says as she makes a move to stand up but he playfully grabs her by the waist to hold her back and pulls her back into him on the bed.

"No no no, you said you wanted to stay in bed all day and you shall! I'll call room service and bring you breakfast in bed!" He says with a satisfied smile and she cannot help smiling back. She does try to escape his grasp but somehow gives up pretty fast when she is enveloped by that delicious smell of fresh laundry he manages to still have on him even when he's not wearing anything.

"But Fitz, I'm not gonna wear my dress from last night all day, it's very uncomfortable. And I'm not gonna spend the day naked!" She says.

"That wouldn't be a problem for me ..." He starts, grinning and she rolls her eyes at him. "... but you can wear one of my shirts if you want. I know you'll have to go back to your room at some point but this is so nice and I'd like to make it last as long as possible." He finishes with a much softer smile and she can't help swooning at how sweet he is. How did it take her so long to realize how amazing he is, she'll never know.

"Okay, I think I'd like that too" She says before reaching for his shirt on the floor.

Twenty minutes later, breakfast is delivered to Fitz's room and as promised, he brings it just next to her so she can eat while staying in bed. As they eat, they start speaking about their plans in Los Angeles, about Jemma's next shooting, about Fitz's work on Trip's movie and about all the things they're going to do together. For Fitz who's never traveled a lot, discovering such a big city, not as tourist but as someone who's going to actually live there, it's quite an adventure and he's glad that Jemma will be here with him. But there's something that he's still wondering, he hopes Jemma hasn't changed her mind about it but now that she's his girlfriend, things might be a little different.

"So ... you asked me if I wanted to come and live with you in Los Angeles and I was wondering ... does your offer still stand? Because I would understand if you ..."He starts but she cuts him.

"Well, of course it still stands, and I'm counting on it Fitz. Why would you think I changed my mind?" She asks, frowning. "I mean, have you changed your mind about it?"

"No no no ... well yes I had changed my mind when you know ... but then last night happened and you explained everything to me ... and now I'd love to!" He says taking her hand in his to reassure her. "It's just that when you asked, we were just friends but now that we're a couple ... I mean deciding to move in together when we haven't even been together for a whole day ... isn't it a bit fast?" He says and they both chuckle.

"Well of course when you think about it like that ..." She starts, looking a bit confused for a second but she quickly recovers. "... but first of all, when I asked you the first time, I was already hoping that things might evolve into ... well this, and I think you did too" She says gesturing to the both of them and he grins slightly. "And then, I know it's weird but it actually doesn't feel weird at all ... moving in with you. Do you know what I mean?" She says with a tentative smile.

"Yeah, I think I do. You know, I'm scared about living in a totally new place, I'm scared about trying out a new career, I'm scared about a lot of things but when it comes to you, I'm just really excited" He answers and she cannot help grinning at his last words. "Not like that Jemma ... well yes like that too obviously but you know ..." He says, rolling his eyes at her.

"I know Fitz, and I'm really excited too" She says, leaning in to give him a tender kiss.

"Well good for me because with how much that stupid plane ticket cost me, I couldn't afford a rent on my own right now." He says and she chuckles.

"Well if you had waited for me to give you an explanation before buying an overpriced ticket to Glasgow, you wouldn't be in such trouble ... drama queen!" She says with a smirk.

"Yeah about that ... I got your messages ... all six of them ... so who's one being a bit too dramatic here?" He says smirking and she lets out a loud gasp.

"Hey I was seriously worried about you ... I couldn't find you all day ..." She says, looking positively shocked.

"Oh I know, it was all very sweet of you ... although I didn't quite get everything you said with your voice getting so high pitched ..."

"Fitz ..." She says, trying her best to keep looking angry.

"... I mean at some point, I think it became ultra sounds, you must have woken up all the dogs in the neighborhood ..." He continues, grinning even more.

"Okay, that's it, I'm going back to my room, I won't stay with you all day if you keep making fun of me for only slightly overreacting." She says as she dramatically flips her hair at him and starts getting up from the bed. But of course, he doesn't let her and grabs her by the waist again.

"No Jemma please don't go, I beg of you!" He says with an extremely exaggerated dramatic tone. She weakly tries to escape him but he starts to tickle her and kiss her everywhere and she can't help the delighted shrieks that come out of her mouth. After a moment, he somehow ends up on top of her, his hands gently entwined in hers above her head and he's suddenly looking down at her with more tenderness than she ever saw in his eyes. As she looks into his amazingly blue and intense eyes, her heart starts beating a little faster and she feels that this is an important moment.

"I don't mind that you're drama queen too ..." He starts. "... because that's one more thing we have in common and one more reason to love you" He finishes with an even sweeter smile and for a moment, it kind of takes her breath away and she finds herself unable to speak. So she tries to convey how she feels through her eyes and smile until she finally finds her voice again.

"Fitz I-I ... love you too ... of course I do!" She says before reaching up to capture his lips in a searing kiss. It's hungry and passionate and oh so full of love. She revels in the sensation of his tongue against hers and how perfect it feels. Even though for most people it would feel like going really fast, she cannot believe that it took her so long to tell him how much she loves him. She hadn't even admitted it to herself yet but the moment she heard him, she knew that's what she's been feeling for longer than she realized and that's what made her heart beat a little faster every time he looked at her with that special smile that was only for her.

"I love you so much Jemma" He says when they finally break the kiss and she beams up at him before freeing her hands from his and locking them behind his neck to bring his lips to hers again. Fitz had been afraid that their relationship was only working because of that special feeling of being alone in the world while everybody else was sleeping, but as she's kissing him with so much passion and love, he starts thinking that their days might get even better than their nights.


End file.
